We Hereby Establish
by esompthin
Summary: You know the fanders fusion ocs? This is a fic about that. The Sides are trying to fuse to make their Established. The only problem? They have no idea where to start looking.
1. Logic

The flyer was bright green, a neon kind of color that caught the eye. Logic pulled it off the bulletin board and carefully skimmed all the information.

'FIND YOUR OTHER SIDES' The flyer said. It was a systematic survey to seek out matching Sides. It certainly seemed like a good idea. You miss all the shots you don't take and all that. The event had already started, but wouldn't end for another two hours or so. Logic decided it would be best for him to head over immediately. He wasn't busy at the moment, and he might as well observe the situation.

Normally, Logic wouldn't bother much with things like this. But recently, he had gotten a tick, an itch, in the back of his mind that was growing with each passing day. He needed to find his other Sides. It was only biology that drove him to start his search; he was aware of this. The chemicals that were being released in his brain were the driving factor for his sudden need for completion

For you see, Logic "Logan" Side was, well, a Side. His job, his purpose, his fundamental goal, is to find his four other Sides, fuse with them, and create an Established. Becoming an Established is the driving instinct of humans.

Logic had not been ignoring his instincts, per say, but he also hadn't tried too hard to find his other Sides. Now he's trying: he's in his second year in college, his hormones are starting to kick in - not the puberty igniting kind, mind you; those had already taken their course - and he has noticed a constantly growing wish to fuse. He doesn't know what his other Sides may be. They could be anyone, anything: Politeness, Activism, Obsession…

You would think it might be easy to find your other Sides. They tend to look similar to yourself; but that's no guarantee. The only way to entirely know if someone is one of your Sides is if you can fuse with them. You cannot fuse with someone who is not your Side; biology won't allow it. Trial and error, although tedious, tends to be the most effective manner to reaching Establishment.

Logic reaches the Student Center ballroom, where the flyer instructed him to go. He peers in through the doorway, watching as a crowd mingles quietly. They're other Sides, and a few Fusions, who are looking for their other halves. Logic steps forward, methodically analyzing the crowd. Instantly, he notices a problem. Every individual there is wearing sensible clothing: some are holding books or notepads, a few wear glasses, not unlike his own. He's about to step back out of the room, but a voice stops him.

"Greetings." It's a person, a Side. You can always tell who are Sides and who are Established - there's a desperation, a hope, in every Side's eyes that an Established lacks. Fusions are even easier to spot, they are truly freaks of nature. When Sides become Fusions, they experience a metamorphosis that may grant them extra limbs or facial features; the more Sides are added to the Fusion, the more complex they may become. However, when all five Sides finally fuse and create an Established, they lose all of their additons and return to their "normal" human form.

He's digressing; there's a Side before him.

The Side has dark, neat hair that is carefully tucked under a grey trilby. Their eyes are a brown that suggest a deep intelligence, and they have the beginnings of a mustache above their lip. Logic finds himself more than willing to interact with the other Side.

"Salutations." Logic says. The two shake hands, pumping once before letting go. "My name is Logic, or Logan in instances that require an Established name. Did you organize this event?"

"Indeed." The Side nods, "I'm Structure and Planning, with an Established name of Andy. Please don't refer to me as such, however." Logic could understand that; he rarely used 'Logan', unless there was another Logic around. Established names mean nothing for Sides. Structure continues on, "I prepared this event in an attempt to find my other Sides. However, it seems that I had missed a fundamental flaw."

Logic nods, glancing around the room, "Yes, I noticed it as soon as I entered. It appears that everyone attending this gathering are knowledge-driven aspects."

The people surrounding them were, technically speaking, intellectually-inclined. Normally, Logic would be thrilled to have a debate with some of them. But that wasn't his purpose today, and to do so would only be a distraction.

"Correct." Structure agrees, "Only left-brained individuals wish to fill out systematic questionnaires, which makes this operation entirely useless for all involved."

The other Side sighed, disappointed.

"How so?" Logic asked, his gaze once again falling to the people surrounding them. While they seemed to be enjoying themselves, no one has fused.  
Structure gestures between them, "Naturally, if we fulfill the left brain aspect - the logic, the reasoning, the plotting - of our future Established, then none of these individuals could be our Sides. We have already taken that position."

"Statistically, it is possible for an Established individual to have multiple left-brained Sides inside them." Logic argues.

"It would be a small statistic." Structure counters.

Logic can't deny that. "Very well. Then, building off of your hypothesis, then we must search for Sides that would be our counterparts. It would be safe to assume that at least one of our Sides would be the opposite of ourselves: the free spirit to our," He gestures at other side, smiling a little, "structure. What would be the opposite of Structure and Planning? Disorganization. What would be the opposite of Logic? Anarchy."

Structure nodded along, "Then to better your search, you must relocate. I have to stay here, as host, but might I suggest you explore the College of Fine Arts?"

"I was thinking the same thing." Logic nods. After realizing this means he must depart soon, he falters a little, suddenly shy. His smile is genuine as he says, "I enjoyed your companionship, and you're an excellent conversationalist. May I have your number?"

"Oh, fuck yeah." Structure grins, startling Logic a bit. The other Side pulls out their phone and they both exchange numbers with the promise to keep in touch.

As Logic is about the step away, he shakes the other Side's hand once more and says, "I hope you the best of statistical probability in finding your Sides."

"And you as well." Structure winks before turning and walking back into the crowd. Logic watches them a moment as they talk to other Sides. He wonders what kind of person they'll be when they're Established.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	2. Mr Side

The main issue with introducing yourself, is the split-second, fundamental panic that comes with deciding which name you should use. Anxiety Side, for one, hated both his names and refused to introduce himself using either of them. It would probably be a blessing to be fused, since he would be given a new name to introduce himself; one that wasn't embarrassing or, well, bad. He didn't want to be known as Anxiety. The other people in his class, they had good, fine names. Things like Sensitivity or Ambition or Respect. But Anxiety? His name was a fucking mental illness. No one wanted to be known as that.

He was incredibly unlucky by having an Established name that was equally horrid - Virgil. He didn't get the luxury of having at least _one_ name that was cool. Nothing about him was cool. Which is why no one would ever want to fuse with him.

So, what does Anxiety say when someone asks his name?

"Mr. Side." Anxiety said, shifting away from the other person.

"Yeah, but _what_ Side?" The person would always say. "I'm a Side, too, and you don't see me hiding my trait."

This is how Anxiety quickly decided if you were worth his time. Those who just nodded and carried on with their own introductions? Good. Not Scary. Keep those ones around. Those who got angry and tried to force Anxiety's name out of him? Bad. Scary. Do not interact.

The worst times were when he, for whatever reason, had to say both his names. Like at the doctors. You see, doctor's offices and other governmental programs refused to let you go by just 'Mr. Side'. For whatever reason, they would shout out your full name in the waiting room, for all to hear. Anxiety hated it. He hated that everyone turned and looked to see who had the two shitty names. He hated that everyone took one look at him and thought, 'glad he's not _my_ Side'. Doctors liked to pat themselves on the back for their 'confidentiality', but they lacked the tact to remember that not everyone liked themselves and that some names were better left unsaid.

This is where Anxiety is now, sitting in a stiff chair, scrolling through his phone and practicing his breathing exercises. There are only a few other people in the waiting room; an old man, a mom, and her kid. Anxiety doesn't make eye contact.

It's just a dumb routine check-up. A large part of him wants to skip it, to walk out and not have to be around when they call out his name. But a bigger part of him knows that if he didn't get a checkup, he would soon realize that he has some horrible, deadly disease, and then he'd get incredibly sick, and then he would have to check into a hospital, and he would hate it, and have a panic attack, and - knowing his luck - he'd probably die.

So. Here he is. Anxious and miserable, just like his name.

"Look, babe, I don't got to be here, okay?" A voice was saying. Anxiety glanced up, only because the person was rather loud. It was some guy; tall with brown hair, and sunglasses perched on his nose, despite being indoors. A total tool. He had a companion, someone who was facing the other direction, talking to the front desk. The companion had shoulder-length brown hair, and was wearing a dark blue jacket that went well past her hips. She had to keep pushing her sleeves up while she wrote things down. The man took a long sip from his coffee before saying, "I'm the epitome of health."

"We both know that's a lie." The woman said, turning around. Anxiety shifted a little. There was something familiar about her. She was scowling a little, "And take those off, we're inside, and you look like-" her scowl disappeared as she cheerfully ended with, "a million bucks!"

Anxiety frowned a little, watching them more closely. The woman winced and held her head, and the man touched her shoulders, whispering something Anxiety couldn't hear.

"Is she alright?" The fusion at the front desk asked.

"Fine, just a headache." The man responded for her. Then, quieter, "Let's sit down, okay, Missy? I'll take off my glasses, just- just chill, okay?"

The woman, Missy, nodded, and the two turned to the chairs. Anxiety quickly glanced away, mentally repeating ' _Don't sit by me, don't sit by me, don't sit by - dammit!'_

The duo sat down right across from him - why do waiting rooms always have chairs facing each other? They were still focused on each other, the man fussing over Missy, and Missy leaning against him with her eyes closed.

"Just rest, babe." The man said. "Do you want to fuse?"

It was in that moment that Anxiety realized what must be wrong. Some Sides, when unfused or unestablished, can have pains when they express their trait. Kind of like an extra 'fuck you' from God. Sometimes Anxiety's chest hurt, but that could just be the, you know, anxiety. Anyway, his theory is that it's a not-so-subtle way of your body telling you to hurry up and find your other Sides. It was awful.

Missy shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm fine. Take those off." She grabbed the sunglasses and put them into her purse. The man gasped, offended, before crossing his arms and looking away from her.

That's when everything froze.

Anxiety's breath hitched and he dropped his phone, it clattered, falling to the floor. The duo looked up at him, and he could see it in their eyes. They recognized him in the same way he did them. They shared the same face.

He didn't know what to do. He had never met potential Sides before. He stared at them, frozen, even as they scrambled across the aisle to take the empty seats on either side of him.

"Oh, hello there!" Missy said excitedly, grabbing his hands, squeezing them once.

"Handsome face you got," the man said, running a finger under his chin. Anxiety pulled away from him, scowling. His anxiety spiked, the rushing of blood in his ears overpowered all his thoughts. He turned to Missy, who seemed slightly less scary, but she was looking at him so hopefully and _that_ turned out to be scarier than Sir Flirts Alot.

He ended up just staring down at his phone, which still laid on the floor in front of them. He was panicking, he could feel it. That's not right, he shouldn't be freaking out, these are his _Sides_. They're supposed to calm his anxiety, make him feel full and complete. And yet-

"So, I'm Remy, I represent Proper-"

"More like _Improper_ -" Missy interrupted. Remy rolled his eyes and playfully flipped the other Side off.

Remy continued, "Sleep, and this is Missy, she's Femininity, Compliments, _Nagging_ -"

"Hey!" She grinned.

The two were so familiar with each other, it was hard for Anxiety to focus. They switched between who was talking too quickly, they bantered and joked, and that was fine, but Anxiety felt like he was missing the punchline. His mind felt fuzzy and he kind of wanted to cry.

 _Stupid!_ He told himself, _this isn't how you're supposed to feel. Why aren't you happy?_

"What's your name, stranger?" Remy asked suddenly.

"Mr. Side." Anxiety replied, his heart in his throat. He couldn't make eye contact, and he wasn't sure why his own face was so terrifying.

Missy and Remy glanced at each other, quiet for a moment.

"And your actual name?" Missy asked, softly. She didn't seem upset, and Anxiety felt a small calm sweep over him. But it was gone a second later. He chewed his lip, unable to speak his name out loud.

 _Here goes._ He thought. _Here's the moment when they reject me._

"Remus Sleep Side?" A nurse asked from the door to the private rooms. Remy glanced from the nurse to Anxiety, then to Missy, before sighing loudly and standing up.

"I have to go." Remy said, "But we'll continue this."

Anxiety watched as Remy disappeared behind the door with the nurse. He wasn't even upset that the other Side got to see the doctor before him. He was just glad he could have a second to breathe.

"We didn't mean to scare you."

Anxiety jumped, he had forgotten Missy was there. He turned to see his face - but as a girl - staring back at him. She was pretty, and her eyes held a kindness to them that he found himself trusting. Maybe she could be his other Side? Maybe he was just being stupid, paranoid, as usual.

"It's okay." Anxiety said, "I wasn't scared, it was just … _a lot_."

"Sorry. We're just excited. We've been looking for our other Sides for a long time, now." Missy explained, "We were starting to think they were on the other side of the world or something. And then, just when we're about to give up hope, there's _you_."

Anxiety didn't say anything. What could he say? That he wanted to fuse, but there was no way they'd like him. That he was bad and that they should look for someone else? That there's no way he'd _ever_ meet their expectations? In the end, he just shrugged.

"Can I have your number?" Missy asked after a second of hesitation. "Just so we can stay in contact. We could set up dates, and fuse, find our other two Sides-"

"Okay, sure, fine," Anxiety said, finally snatching his phone from the floor. The familiar weight calmed him for just a moment, but then he shoved his phone into Missy's hands and muttered, "I'll text you."

Missy silently typed in her number and passed the phone back. She placed a hand on his arm and said, "Don't worry. We won't force you to do anything you don't want to."

Anxiety nodded once, and opened his mouth to speak, but then his spine went rigid as the nurse called his name.

"Virgil Anxiety Side?"

He stared at Missy, eyes wide. She watched as he slowly stood up, and turned to the nurse. He closed his eyes, his fists clenched at his sides, and took a deep breath. He walked forward and ignored the tiny "oh" of understanding coming from behind him.

Welp. Now they knew. Now Missy will tell Remy what Side he is and they'll decide that they don't _want_ Anxiety and he'll be alone forever. He was shaking as he walked into the doctor's office. He didn't look back.

He wasn't going to text her.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	3. Morality

Morality hums to himself as he opens a big, colorful door. He steps into a room filled with sound; little Sing was practicing her vocals. Disruptive and Arrogant were fighting over a toy. Excitement was talking the ear off of Gender Expression, who looked over at Morality with something akin to relief in their eyes.

"Excitement, do you mind finishing your story later? Mx. Expression needs to have a chat with Mr. Morality, okay?" Expression said, standing up and leaving the child to her own devices. Morality chuckled as Expression let out a deep sigh. "I've had a _morning_. I've basically given up on those two," they gesture to the fighting toddlers, "and I can't find Shy anywhere. Oh, and Slob completely destroyed my purse."

Morality smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be late, but there was this puppy-"

Expression held up their hands, "I don't care. Will you, just, help me?"

"Of course." Morality said. He was very good with kids while Expression, well, Expression wasn't the _worst_ with children, but they certainly needed help every now and then. There was nothing wrong with that, Morality didn't mind.

Morality was able to get the children under control within only a few minutes, and only a few hours later, it was nap time. Morality sat down with a sigh, smiling at all the sleeping kiddos. Expression was drinking from a water bottle. They handed it to Morality and then tied up their bright fire red hair up into a bun. Then they rolled up their sleeves, showing off their many tattoos.

Morality brightened, "Did you get a new one?"

"No, this is Autumn coloring on me, because the others were being too loud." Expression gestured to the red and green scribbles on their arms. Autumn was one of their kiddos, she had sensory problems and sometimes coloring helped to distract her from all of her surroundings. They used her Established name, only because her parents asked them to. Most kids liked to go by their Side name, shouting it out for everyone to hear. Sometimes people didn't like to go by their Side name; that's what Established names were for.

Morality chuckled, "Well, it almost looks like a cloud. I wouldn't doubt you if you said that was your newest tattoo."

"That's because you wouldn't doubt anyone." Expression grumbled, "You're too trusting."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little trusting." Morality replied, having to look up at the short person. "Trust is what makes relationships; if you don't trust people, you'll never be able to have a healthy and long-lasting relationship with them."

Expression gagged, "No thanks. I'm fine on my own."

Morality pouted, "Press, we talked about this… Are you sure you really don't want to find your other Sides?"

Expression shifted on their feet before sitting down next to him. The chairs were made for baby butts, so it wasn't super comfy. But they were both used to it, after working here for so long. Expression scowled and crossed their arms over their flat chest.

"No, I really don't. If I fuse with someone, then _they'll_ dictate how we dress, how we present ourselves. I don't want that." Expression huffed, "What if my other Sides are cis? What if they try to squash me. There's always one Side that disappears, what if that's me?"

Morality put a hand on Expression's shoulder, sympathetic, "Hey, I know it's scary, giving yourself away to total strangers, but … they _aren't_ strangers. Your other Sides are the people that were _made_ for you. They're not going to force you to be cis. They're going to listen to you, and let you dictate how your Established will express themself."

Expression shrugged, "I can't take that risk, you know? This is too important to me. I'd rather be alone and happy than fused and miserable."

Morality nodded, giving them a sad smile, "That's your choice. I won't ask you about it anymore."

"Somehow…" Expression started to grin, "That feels like a lie, Mr. _Morality_."

Morality gasped, holding a hand to his chest, "Hey now! I'm only looking out for my favorite kiddo!"

Expression rolled their eyes, but chuckled, "And what about you? Have you been looking?"

Morality's smile only brightened, "I have! Haven't found anyone, though. I don't really know where to look, honestly. Who would be a good counterpart for me?"

Expression studied him for a moment, looking him up and down, before finally saying, "I dunno, but you would need someone to straighten you out."

"We both know that I'll never _straighten,_ regardless of who I fuse with," Morality said, earning a snort from Expression. Morality thought for a moment, wondering who his other Sides would be. "No matter what, they'll be wonderful. I'm excited to meet them someday. I know that whoever they are, they're amazing."

Expression leaned back and stared at him wistfully, "I wish I was you. You're so … open, so willing to meet them. Aren't you a little scared?"

Instantly, Morality shook his head, "Not at all. I trust that they are good, and they will love me the way that the universe designed them to. We're meant to be together. That means something, doesn't it?"

Expression shrugged, "I guess." They looked down at their arm, covered in marker and tattoo ink. Then, they looked over to Morality, "Do you want to come with me to get my next tattoo?"

"Sure. Do you know when you want to get it done?" Morality asked, "I can be there for _Moral_ support."

Expression groaned at the joke and then said, "I dunno, probably sometime later in the month. I gotta get my paycheck first. These things ain't cheap."

"What are you gonna get?" Morality asked.

"Flowers, I think." Expression said, tracing the outlines of one of their tattoos, "I have a lot of dark tats. I got, like, four dedicated to viking metal. I want to have one that's just … pretty."

Morality nodded, "I like that. You should do cats!"

"Cats?"

"Big, fat, fluffy ones!" Morality nodded, "Since I would never get a tattoo, you should get one for me, and it should be cats, and it should say 'I am purrrfect' with little hearts."

Expression laughed and nodded, "Okay, Morie, I'll get the cats. Flowers can be another day, huh?"

"Really!?"

"Sure, why not?"

Just then, Insomnia sat up and waddled over to them, blankie in hand. "I am done sleeping." He informed them.

Morality nodded seriously, "Okay, you did very good today. You slept a whole hour! Do you want a cookie?"

Insomnia nodded and they had cookies and milk quietly while the others continued their nap time. It was a typical day for Morality; nothing was ever really new around here. They kept things interesting, but, at the same time, something in Morality's heart ached for something new.

He knew what it was, too, what it could only be.

He really wanted to fuse.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	4. Roman

"Cut!"

Roman sighed and lowered his arms, stepping away from his dance partner. His feet were sore and he didn't get much sleep last night; not to _mention_ they've been at this for _hours,_ and a prince is flawless in all ways, but even _he_ needed a break sometimes. He and Monica shot each other annoyed glances.

The director they had for this show? You wanna know what his name is? Huh? Do ya? It's Perfectionist. It _sounds_ like a good thing, right? You'd want your show to be perfect, yeah? Nope. No, no no no no no _nooo_. It's the worst. He's running all of them to the bone and Roman doesn't even _like_ cardio in the first place.

Perfectionist rubs the bridge of his nose as he steps up to the stage, clearly annoyed. "Pop Culture, _what_ did I say about your arms? Higher! Higher!"

Monica huffs and lifts her arms up into position; her first pair of arms gracefully cross over her head, while her second pair reaches out to Roman. "Like this?"

"Elbows up!" Perfectionist shouted. "And you're _still_ half a second slower than the beat, pick up the _pace_! You said you could salsa!"

"It's not her fault." Roman said, giving Perfectionist his best charming smile. "She's just a little tired. We all are. Can we have a break?"

Perfectionist scowled, but glanced around at the cast sitting around him. They were all exhausted, souls trying to escape through their eyes, some still panting hard. "Fine. Ten minutes and that's _it_. If any of you are a _second_ late, you're off the show!"

"That would be a blessing at this point." Monica muttered in Roman's ear. He snorted and watched as their castmates surried off to the bathroom or to look through their backpacks.

Roman turned to her, placing a hand on her second, left wrist. He smiled sympathetically, "You okay?"

"Yeah." She sighed, rubbing her neck with one hand while fixing her dark ponytail with two others. "Have you noticed he only yells at me?"

"Kind of." Roman shot a glance at their director, who was now flipping through stage notes. "I don't think he's … _fond_ of fusions."

Monica rolled her eyes, "Está justo enfadado porque es soltero."

"True." Roman laughed. He stretched and gestured to the door, "I'm going to go refill my water bottle, okay? I'll be back."

Monica waved him off, but she was holding her own hands distractedly. Roman watched her for a second before he grabbed his water bottle and jogged to the hall door. Roman frowned to himself as he thought. Monica can get weird sometimes, not like _weird_ weird, but kind of _weird_ weird, you know?

She talked to herself, often. And that was fine, sometimes yourself is a _fantastic_ conversationalist. But the thing was, it wasn't actually _herself_ , if you catch his drift. Roman didn't know a lot about fusions, but he did know that there was _a lot_ happening in there at once. It was no wonder Monica couldn't keep up as much. She had to work harder than all the others here. This year, only Established and Sides made the cast, except for Monica. Pop Culture proved that she could keep up with them, but now Perfectionist was being even harder on her…..

The whole thing was very _uncharming_.

Despite this, Roman was sure about one thing, he was _never_ going to fuse. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ fusions, he just - well, okay, how should he put this, see, Roman is just the first human in all of existence to just _not_ have Sides. He was born Established. That's just how he is. He is completely complete on his own. It's actually really impressive if you think about it.

Roman hummed to himself as he approached the water fountain. He watched as the water yeeted itself into his bottle.

"Pardon me, do you know the location of the Auditorium?" Someone asked from behind him.

Roman didn't look up - he didn't want to get water on his hands - as he said over his shoulder, "Down the hall and to the right, it'll be the first door on your left. Can't miss it."

The freshman - because it had to be a freshman on the cast who was lost, right? - said, "Thank you, greatly." and walked off.

Roman didn't think much else about it, removing his water bottle and tightening the lid back on it. Before going back to the auditorium, he stopped by the vending machines and bought a granola bar. He needed to keep his energy up or else Perfectionist will harp on him next.

Biting into his snack, he pushed through the doors and pulled out his phone; his water bottle tucked between his arm and his side. He checked his messages and noticed that he had a _bitchton_ of texts from Remy and Disability. Just as he was about to click on their group chat, Perfectionist shouted, "SIDE! Get over here!"

Roman, along with multiple other panicked Sides, scrambled up to the stage. He got into position next to Monica and waited for the music to play. Monica grabbed his hands and whispered, "Why do we suddenly have an audience?"

"Hm?" Roman glanced out at the seats and, sure enough, there was now someone sitting out there. He couldn't see them through the stage lights, but he knew that he was being watched. He shrugged and grinned, "Guess it's showtime."

Monica couldn't help but let out a giggle as the music started and Roman whisked her off into a quick-footed dance. Roman grinned, twisting her around and swinging them across the stage. The other dancers were surrounding them, going through their own steps. Roman glanced over at the stranger in the seats, a small thrill running down his spine.

Weirdly, practice went much easier after that. Perfectionist wasn't as salty and they were able to _finally_ get through the dance. Roman joked around with the others and they got a lot of work done. It was kind of unusual for them.

Once practice let out, Roman grabbed his backpack and opened his phone again. Just as he clicked on the group chat for him and his friends, someone tapped on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," Someone said.

Roman turned and looked at the person behind him. He frowned when he saw himself - but as a nerd - staring back. "Oh."

"My name is Logic and I was wondering if-" The man was saying. Roman took a step back, clutching his backpack strap tightly.

He relaxed once he realized that, duh, this guy was one of Remy and Missy's Sides. Forcing a smile, he took the other man's hand, shaking it. "Have you met your others yet?"

Logic's eyes widened in surprise, "Well, actually, no. That's why I'm here, I was-"

Roman laughed loudly, "Well you're not going to find them here! I can give you their number and you can go on your way, how about that?"

Logic's expression retreated slightly, his head cocking to the side and his lips lowering from their small smile. "What do you mean?"

"Your other Sides?" Roman said innocently. "They aren't actors."

Logic was growing suspicious, or at least, moderately confused. "Why is the idea that _we're_ not compatible so preposterous?"

 _Well, because you just used the word 'preposterous'_ , Roman thought. He shrugged, allowing his smile to fall a little, "Because I don't have any Sides. I'm already Established."

Logic frowned, "But the instructor called you 'Side'."

Roman took a couple steps towards the front door, "It's a coincidence. Look, if you want me to introduce you to some _actual_ Sides, I can, but otherwise, I have to go, so…"

The other man didn't respond, so Roman walked out. His heart was beating like he just did a jazz number, and he couldn't quite catch his breath. He shoved his shaking hands into his pockets while he tried to push away all the weird, unprincely feelings inside him.

As he walked home, he couldn't help but wonder about that Side - Logic. Should he tell Remy and Missy about him? He certainly looked like them. Maybe they were one step closer to becoming Established.

Just like him.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	5. Deceit

"Alright gentlemen, I want a simple game; clean. If I catch even one of you stupid Sides counting, I'll kick all'a'y'all out. Hear?"

"He's talkin' ta you, Deceit."

"Boys, boys, I would _never_." Deceit smiled coolly, sitting back in his plush seat. His ringed fingers gently tapped his arm rest in a slow, even rhythm. The other players around the table laughed; pounding on the wood and slapping each other - utter fools, all of them. They'd have to be to play a poker game against _him_. Deceit can always tell when someone isn't being honest; you can't trick a trickster.

The cards are dealt; around the table, one by one. Deceit's eyes follow each player as they pick up a new card; reading their reactions, calculating each player's tell. The lights were low; almost as low as the waitress' shirts. Deceit smiled flirtatiously at a woman as she passed, smoothly shooting her a wink. Someone - probably Addiction - was smoking in another part of the bar. She'll be kicked out soon enough. It should've been sooner; but the staff has a soft spot for her.

They played through a couple rounds; Deceit winning a hundred bucks in the process. Few could keep up with him around these parts. He sighed as he collected his money and slowly made his way across the bar, towards the exit. He swiped a shot of _something_ from a waiter who was distracted by their table. Not missing a beat, he threw it back and dropped it off on another waiter's tray. With a high-five to Addiction, he was stepping out the doors and into the bright, beautiful world.

He turned down the street towards his flat and counted the money he won. This, plus that pool game last night, adds up to only half his rent. He sighed and shoved the money back into his pocket. He needed more…

A group of people had stopped to watch the TVs through the window of some electronics store. Deceit slowed down, glancing at what was on the screen. It was some newscast discussing how some celebrity had found their last Side and was now going to have an Established celebration. Rich people always throw big-ass parties that cost more than houses to celebrate their Establishment. It was just another way they were slaves to capitalism; throwing money into useless extravagances just to fit the status quo.

"Isn't that sweet." Deceit cooed, earning agreeing comments from the small cluster. Without looking away from the TV, Deceit slipped the wallet out of the nearest woman's purse. Once the TV screen started showing fireworks and the Established celebrity's smiling face, Deceit casually strolled off down the street. He only picked through the woman's wallet when he was far enough away. Forty bucks. Ugh. Why doesn't anyone carry cash anymore?

He tucked the forty dollars into his pants before he walked into the Police station. He waited in line and smiled kindly at the reception worker. "Hi, I found this wallet on the ground outside. I think someone dropped it. It has an ID in it, but I wasn't sure what to do… can I leave it here?"

"We can make sure it gets to the right person. Thank you so much, sir!"

Deceit walked out, tapping his new Orlando Police Department pen against his leg with each step. God, this was easy. He was blessed with a face people trust and the wit to use it to his advantage.

He continued his stroll home, unwilling to risk more pick-pocketing. Rent wasn't due for a while; he had time. He frowned when he saw the road was blocked off up ahead. He thought through his probabilities; could he lie his way around the barrier and continue down his normal route? Seeing that it was a huge car crash with tons of police and medics around? Unlikely.

Deceit huffed, but rerouted and turned to go down a block. It was a sunny day; afternoon. The schools were letting out, and that was great. Deceit hated kids.

"Be careful, kiddo! Wait for your dad!"

Deceit glanced up, doing a double-take at the man he saw. It was his face, but genuine. The man, who was helping small kids into their parents' cars, laughed loudly; his smile taking up half his face.

Deceit tripped.

Face red, he scrambled around a corner, out of sight of his doppleganger. Deceit took a moment to think.

What the fuck.

Whatthefuck.

What. THe. FUCK.

Did one of Deceit's Sides live near him…?

He had never once pondered the possibility that one of his Sides would be near him. He didn't stay up all night when he was young, imagining what it would be like to have people who _understand_ him because they _are_ him. He never dared to dream that maybe, one day, he'd be Established and he'd never be disrespected again. No. Not once. Didn't even cross his mind.

He was entirely prepared for this situation.

He peered around the corner to look at the man in question. Yup. That was his Side alright. They had the same nose; same hair; same build and expressions. How very _uninteresting_. He needed to know _less_ right now.

He snatched up a newspaper from the ground and held it up to his face as he walked closer. Being careful to hide from the other man's sight; Deceit snuck some pictures on his phone. Once he was satisfied, he dropped the newspaper and stepped back into the dark alleyways; thoughts running wild the entire walk home.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	6. Logic Side

The coffee shop Logic had chosen to meet at was quiet. It was next to campus, but was considered the "gay" coffee shop. It is known as such due to the fact that the owner is a homosexual man. Regardless, this meant that there was a smaller clientele demographic, and Logic anticipated a peaceful evening.

He had arrived fifteen minutes earlier than the agreed upon time. This allowed Logic plenty of time to order his beverage (a hot green tea; no sugar) and find a suitable spot to watch the door and await his company. Logic glanced at his watch, five minutes until their friendly due date. The bell above the door jingled.

Logic immediately sat up straighter, nodding at the Side who walked in. Structure nodded back, their lip quirking upwards in a quick motion. They gestured to the front, indicating that they'll get their drink before joining him. Logic watched their back as they spoke to the cashier.

He wasn't fully sure what had driven him to invite Structure out on a _coffee date_ of all things last night. At first, he just wanted to ensure that the other had his number, simply sending a " _Greetings. This is my contact information. Please memorise it."_ text, per usual. But then Structure had sent him a rather amusing infographic about tetrapods and, as the phrase goes: "one thing led to asking an acquaintance to a platonic outing".

Logic placed his hands in his lap once Structure sat across from him, carrying a plate with a plain bagel and a cup of black coffee. Logic waited until Structure had set everything down and was situated before he glanced down at his watch: 8:00. Perfectly Punctual. He expected nothing less from a Side referred to as 'Structure and Planning'.

Logic cleared his throat before saying, "Greetings."

"Greetings!" Structure was excited today. They practically were leaning over their bagel, immediately asking, "Well? What had happened after your departure?"

"Ah." Logic realized, "You are inquiring about if I had found a potential Side or not."

Structure nodded, spreading butter on their bagel, "The suspense is killing me." They paused their buttering. "Metaphorically."

Logic hesitated, thinking about the interaction he had with that … dancing individual. "I admit, even I am unsure of what I had experienced yesterday."

"Oh? How so?" Structure took a bite from their bagel, eyes never leaving Logic's face.

Frowning, Logic said, "The man I met seemed like the perfect match, logically speaking. We were nearly identical in facial structure and, aside from a few physical features, bodies. He even _sounded_ like me." Logic chuckled to himself, "It's absurd, hearing ' _myself'_ speak in such irrational ways."

Structure only seemed more curious, "Irrational how? And why are you indicating there was a negative reaction last night?"

Logic only sighed, looking down at his hands in his lap. He had started picking at his nails; a bad habit that he never was smart enough to squash. Slowly, he wrapped his hands around his warm cup, so he couldn't pull at any more hangnails. Structure let out a small gasp.

"There _was_ a negative reaction last night…" They whispered to themself.

Logic scoffed, "It was no ' _negative reaction_ ', it was an outright rejection. The man I met - he didn't even give me his name, said that he was already Established. Then he left before I could gather any more information."

Structure chewed on their lip, thinking, "Well, it's certainly possible…"

"Excuse me?" Logic asked, surprised.

Structure gestured to the cashier as an example, "How many Established people are there our age? They're not exactly rare. It's entirely in the realm of probability that the man you met was actually Established."

Logic was already shaking his head before they finished their point. He looked away from the cashier to counter, "No, I can prove he was lying. I just have to do some research on him first."

"If you want to." Structure shrugged, taking a sip of their coffee. "It may lead to a dead end, though. A pretty face does not a fusion make."

That made Logic roll his eyes, muttering, "You realize that insinuates that you think _I_ have a pretty face."

Structure winked at him.

Oh. _Oh!_

Logic cleared his throat, straightening his tie. He continued his point, ignoring the heat in his cheeks. "There was something peculiar about that man, though. I can't put my finger on it, but he stands out in a way that no one has to me before. That has to mean something, right?"

The other Side thought for a moment, before settling on, "It could be evidence for a championship _Where's Waldo_ streak in elementary school."

"I am exceptional at word searches." Logic said, shooting a grin across the table. Structure snorted, shoving a bite of their bagel into their mouth. Logic forced himself to focus, "Still, I hypothesize there is something that man is not telling me."

"Probably many things." Structure muttered to themself, taking another sip of coffee.

" _Furthermore_ ," Logic leans across the table to snatch the other half of Structure's bagel. "I hypothesize this _actor_ is my counterbalance Side and that we _will_ fuse in the foreseeable future."

Structure glanced around, "Is this like, a bet?"

Logic sighed and gave them their bagel back, uninterested in gluten. "You find yourself so amusing."

"I have reason to believe do share the same findings." Structure grinned at him, nudging him under the table.

Logic said in a blank tone, "Oh, yes, allow me to laugh." He took in a deep breath, then, a reasonable, "Ha."

"Fuck you." Despite the language, Structure did not seem upset. It appeared to be another form of banter. The Side was smiling widely. Their cheeks became rosey when they were enthused. It was … cute. Aesthetically speaking. Neither of them had spoken for too long, and now the air had turned, what the kids call, "awkward".

Structure glanced away, tapping their fingers on the table. "Seriously, though, why are you so sure that he's yours?"

Logic glanced up at the tone of his aquantance's voice. It was lacking the light flutter that he had associated with the other. He shifted in his seat a little, choosing his words carefully. "Once I was near him, the buzzing in my head stopped."

That got Structure to pause, focusing entirely on Logic's voice.

Logic licked his lips, gaze shifting to somewhere in the distance. He could remember vividly what it felt like to stand next to the other man. It was something that Logic had never felt before; a sense of warmth. It was entirely baseless, but Logic believed that that empty spot on stage next to that man belonged to him.

"For the past few months, my thoughts have been _scrambled_." Logic explained in a ' _puberty, you know_ ' kind of way. Structure nodded, gesturing for him to continue. "I have intense migraines; sometimes I can't focus. Because of this _sound_ in the back of my head. An alarm of sorts."

"For fusion." Structure mumbled quietly, sitting back in their seat.

Logic nodded, playing with the lid of his cup. "Standing next to him, for those brief moments, it was silent." Logic felt himself smile softly, allowing himself to reminisce about a stranger. "I felt like I was myself again; I could properly _think_ for the first time in months."

Structure let out a small groan. If Logic believed them to be a lesser Side he would've called it a _whine_. "I need to find my Sides."

Shaking his head, Logic huffed, "It's not preferable. Just look at me, a _Logic_ Side basing a hypothesis on how I _feel_." He gagged, "Despicable."  
Structure shrugged, "Consider it a scientific hunch."

The bell above the door jingled. At first, Logic wasn't going to acknowledge the person who walked in, until the owner called, "Sorry, honey! No fusions inside!"

"¡Ah, mierda!" The fusion said, crossing her four arms. "I thought this place was about love, viejo!"

"Oh my Go- Do we have to do this every time, Monica?" The owner seemed rather upset. He grabbed a megaphone from under the counter and projected: "I DON'T HAVE BIG ENOUGH CHAIRS!"

Structure rubbed their ears gently, scowling, "Was the megaphone necessary?"

"That's her." Logic said, staring at the bickering fusion. "That's the fusion."

Structure turned to look at her, confused, "She doesn't look anything like you. And she's not a man. Probably. And she's a fusion." They turned back to Logic, expectantly, "Who the fuck is that?"

Again, Structure didn't seem upset. On the contrary, they appeared even more interested in Logic's tale. Logic hesitated, watching as the fusion unfused into two grumpy women.

"Furniture is expensive, sisters!" The owner sighed, setting the megaphone down.

"Once more, the oppressive forces keep us apart!" One of the women gushed, grasping onto the other's arm.

The second woman just rolled her eyes, muttering something that Logic couldn't hear. The cashier awkwardly took their order, undoubtedly giving them a discount. Logic distractedly explained, "Their fusion was the dance partner to my potential Side last night."

"They're friends?" Structure asked.

"One can assume." Logic shrugged. The two turned back to watching the women. They had long dark brown hair. He could already tell why the two were fused so often: it was out of convenience. They were already squashed together all the time; they might as well get four arms out of it. Logic nodded to himself, having already made up his mind. "I'm going to talk to them."

"Oh! A lead!" Structure took an over-enthusiastic gulp of their coffee. They had forgotten it was hot and ended up coughing at the sudden burning sensation. Logic handed the other Side napkins, trying not to be too amused nor too grossed out.

"Let's sit over by the twinks, Princess!"

"The _what_?" Logic needed a moment to double check that he heard that right. Then he had to triple check that that word meant what he thought that word meant. He wasn't going to explain why - but he was mildly offended.

Someone laughed, "¡No digas eso!"

Logic looked up and, yes, in fact, the two women were sitting at the table next to theirs. Well, at least he wouldn't have to walk across the cafe, potentially seeming intimidating. This was a "blessing" in "disguise". Structure was happy to sit back and watch the show up close.

"Pardon me." Logic said, gaining the ladies' attentions.

The shorter woman spoke, "Hey, sorry about my girlfriend. I can't control her."

"I understand; it's the fundamental flaw with all Sides: they have no filters." Logic nodded, ready to carry on with his questions.

The taller woman snorted, mocking, " _It's the fundamental flaw_!" She burst into giggles before patting Logic's hand (no) and adding, "Sorry, you're hilarious, continue."

"My name is Logic." He said, slowly pulling his hand out from under the woman's.

"Like the rapper?" The taller woman asked.

"No, didn't you hear? He's Established now." The shorter woman said.

"Ohmygodnoway!"

"They announced it yesterday."

Logic turned and shared a defeated look with Structure. Talking to women was more difficult than he originally anticipated. They had yet to make it past the introductions and he had class in an hour. Structure was enjoying themself far too much.

Logic leaned close enough to hiss at them, "Shut up, you just choked on coffee. What? Didn't _plan_ for that?"

Structure stuck their tongue out at him, but was able to lessen the general amusement of their expression 12.3%, so Logic dropped it. When Logic turned back to the women, the shorter one was saying, "How did you not know this, we're literally fused together all the time."

Logic interrupted before they could continue this _riveting_ conversation. "If I may, what are _your_ names?"

"Oh, hello! I'm Thespian," The taller woman said, "I represent all the singing, the dancing, the _good stuff_." She wiggled her eyebrows at him, holding out her hand. "You can call me _anytime_."

"I will not." Logic said, gently pushing her hand away.

"She goes by Theo." The shorter woman told him. She seemed far more relaxed than the other Side. She was leaning back in her chair, unconcerned with the vitals of good posture. "My name is Heritage. Llámame Harry." She fingergunned, "¿Qué pasa?"

Logic gestured between the two of them, "And when you two are fused, may I ask your fusion's name?"

"Pop Culture." Theo chirped proudly.

"How's that work out?" Structure asked.

"I'm the Pop!" Thespian shouted.

"And I'm the Culture." Heritage grinned.

The two women fist-pumped, but they weren't nearly as excited as Logic was. He nodded enthusiastically, pointing to the two women, "Yes, that's the name the instructor kept shouting! Pop Cutlure! The man you were dancing with last night, what was his name?"  
"Do you mean-" Theo halted her words at just a tap from Harry, who was watching Logic carefully. Logic didn't like the way her gaze flickered across his face, recognizing his features easily.

"Why do you want to know?" Harry asked.

Logic saw no reason in lying, "I believe he may be one of my Sides."  
"Roman is Established." Harry crossed her arms.

"His name is Roman." Logic mentally recorded. It was … a name. It didn't sound right; it felt clunky on his tongue. He was expecting something different, he supposed. He was expecting a _Side's_ name.

Harry huffed, ignoring her giggling girlfriend. She stayed persistent, "Regardless, he's already Established and he doesn't want any more of you pretty boys sticking your noses where they don't belong."

"Any more?" Logic asked, "Who else had…" He trailed off, remembering what the man - Roman - had said to him. Roman supposedly knew who his other Sides were. Had he not been the first one of his Sides to harass him? He switched his tactics, asking, "Roman had mentioned that he knew who my other Sides were. Could you give him a message, telling him I would like help finding them."

"Probablemente quiera decir Remy y Missy." Harry said to Theo.

Theo had her chin resting on her hand, her eyes squinted in thought as she said, "Hmmm… si."

Harry rolled her eyes and turned to Logic, "We'll let him know."

Just then, Logic's alarm on his watch went off. He had to get to class soon. Well, he wanted a quiet morning coffee with his new acquaintance, and now he's got a mild headache and the distinct urge to stand outside the auditorium all day. Quickly, he scribbled down his phone number on a napkin. He was going to hand it to Theo, then thought better of it, and gave it to Harry.

"Please give him this."

He said his goodbyes to both the women and Structure before he made his escape. He could only wait for now.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	7. A Side

Sunglasses. Of all things why did his subconscious decide he should doodle sunglasses? Anxiety huffed and scribbled over the drawing, ignoring the implications of his actions. What did it matter? Sunglasses could mean anything. He didn't know anyone especially prone to wearing them everywhere.

Not at all. Nope.

His phone lit up beside him and that only made him think about the number sitting there, waiting to be called. Bouncing his leg, he flipped his phone over so he wouldn't be bothered by her - _it_ \- anymore.

He stared down at the paper in front of him, covered in doodles that he scratched out because they weren't good enough. He groaned and ran a hand through his purple hair, trying to focus his scattered thoughts.

 _Call them call them call them_. His mind kept chanting, which was ridiculous, because he'd never voluntarily _call_ someone, even if they were his Side. He didn't want to do it. He didn't! And when you don't want to do something because it scares you a lot, the best thing to do is listen to yourself and _not fucking do it_.

 _Text them text them text them_. More likely, but still no.

Why did it even matter? Anxiety didn't need his Sides. He had been alone his entire life; there was no need to change that now. It wasn't like he was lonely or anything. He was entirely satisfied with where he was in life right now. He had a killer job and a nice apartment; what else would he need?  
His chest spiked with a sudden pain. Anxiety huffed and rubbed his shirt, hoping the pain would lessen. The doctor told him this would keep happening until he was Established. He told the doctor to fuck off. Quietly. In his head.

Honestly he thought the whole "fusion" business was unnecessary. Why couldn't he just be himself? Yeah, he didn't particularly _want_ to be himself. But letting someone fuse with him? To get to know him deeply and personally? Not gonna happen.

What he had come to terms with as a teenager was that being himself sucked and being someone else sucked and life in general just (you guessed it) sucked. There was no escape.

It didn't help that his parents kept bugging him about it.

 _When are you gonna fuse?_

 _I can introduce you to a nice boy, he looks a bit like you!_

 _You're not even_ trying _to make it work!_

Anxiety refocused on his paper, realizing he was doodling Missy's face while lost in his thoughts. Her hair framed her face so gently, and her smile was a kind, trusting one. She had big eyes, full of emotion. Even though he only met her once, every detail of her face was ingrained in his head. (Mostly because they shared the same face.) He was about to scribble it out; but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Because it was a good drawing. That's all.

The bell above the door jingled. Anxiety looked up as two girls walked in, holding hands. He could already tell they were Sides, and tried to not seem annoyed. He got a _lot_ of Sides as his clients. They always wanted something cutesy and matching. Which is good for them, but sometimes Anxiety wanted to draw a skull and crossbones or something.

"How can I help you?" He asked politely.

"Do you have time for a walk in?" One girl asked.

In response, Anxiety gestured to the empty room with a raised eyebrow. When the girls giggled nervously, he offered them a small smile and said, "So, what're we thinking for today?"

The girls show him a design on their phones, a bouquet of flowers with the phrase ' _Self care; self share_ ' on a little banner. Anxiety glanced up when one of the girls explained, "We want it to be able to last during fusion and Establishment. Can you do that?"

Anxiety nodded, "Yeah, but you'll have to get it in the same spot."

"That's fine." One girl smiled.

"We want it on our shoulder." The other agreed.

It was pretty common for close Sides to refer to themselves as one. It was just another thing Anxiety didn't like about fusion culture. Like, once you find your other pieces, you lose your individuality. That just didn't sound right to him. He didn't want to be the "other half". He wanted to be full, by himself.

Anxiety took the phone and walked back to his workbench. He carefully drew the piece out, making sure the letters were big enough and easy to read.

Once he was finished, he returned to the girls to show it to them. "What'd'ya think?"

They squealed and squeezed each other's hands. It could be assumed they liked it.

"Are we gonna color it?" He asked.

"No, the line art is fine." One girl said.

The other nodded, "Just some shading."

"Cool." Anxiety took the sketch back to copy it to his ink paper. Then he brought the girls back to his work station, and one of them volunteered to go first. He pressed the ink paper against her shoulder, carefully peeling it off to reveal the purple outline. The girl looked in the mirror and then showed it to her Side. They both liked the placement, so Anxiety started to set up his needle.

"Is it gonna hurt?" The girl going first asked.

Anxiety _wanted_ to make a sarcastic remark. But you have to be nice to clients. He looked her in the eye and tried to sound reassuring. "Only for a while. Remember, pain is temporary; tattoos are forever. If you really want this tattoo, the pain will be worth it."

She took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded. Anxiety didn't tell her that a tattoo meant to last through fusion would hurt more. That would only freak her out.

Before long, he was going to work. The girls chatted with each other, holding hands when the pain got too bad. Anxiety zoned them out, focusing on following the lines.

"What happens if another one of our Sides has a different tattoo in the same place?" One girl asked.

Anxiety shrugged. "That's actually pretty rare. But I guess biology decides. Sometimes one of them disappears, sometimes they're smashed together. If it comes out funky, just come right back here and I'll fix it up."

The girls giggled at that, which made Anxiety share a small smile. He returned to the tattoo, starting on another flower. After a while, Anxiety asked, "So why this phrase?"

The shorter girl piped up, "Self care is important for a healthy fusion. And part of that is sharing who you are with your other Sides. You can't be fully Established until you're able to share _all_ parts of yourself."

"Huh." Anxiety said quietly. He tried to concentrate on the tattoo, but his mind was stuck on the saying. Eventually, he asked, "What would you two do … if you didn't like one of your Sides?"

"What do you mean?" One asked.

Anxiety paused, turning the needle off for a moment. "Like… what if your next side was Slob or Greed or something equally bad. What if they're a trait you don't want to have? Would you still want them?"

The two girls stared at each other for a moment, apparently contemplating his question.

"Well, yeah." One girl finally said.

The other nodded, "I mean… it would suck. But that's what you gotta do to be Established."

Anxiety pursed his lips. "Right."

He didn't talk anymore. He didn't think he'd be able to, even if he wanted. Suddenly, his body was moving on automatic. He was watching more than participating. The tattoo came to life under his fingertips and all he could do was stare at the phrase.

Self care; self share.

Why would he want to share himself if the reaction was going to be "if I have to". He didn't want someone to feel _forced_ to be with him. Is that how Missy and Remy are going to feel? Do they feel that way already? Since they know what he is? Did Missy tell Remy? Or did she keep it a secret?

Of course she told him. They're Sides. They fuse. Nothing is secret. So when Remy finds out about him, he's going to be all "No way, darling, he's not for us." Because _why_ would they want _him_?

He was going to be alone forever.

And he was going to drag Missy and Remy down with him. You can't be Established with only four Sides, so that means they'll either be forced to be with him (NO!) or they'll just be Sides forever.

Oh my God, what if they die from not fusing? It's been known to happen. The body pains get worse and worse and then you die. They're all going to die eventually. And it'll be his fault. Because he's _bad_. Because no one will want him.

Anxiety blinked and the tattoo was done. He cleared his throat, pulled away, and muttered, "Next."

He didn't watch as the girls looked at the tattoo and switched spots. He wordlessly grabbed his gauz and disinfectant and gestured to the new tattoo. The girl took a picture first and then he patched it up, before getting ready to do the next one.

Rinse and repeat.

He kept all of his freak outs on the inside, where they're supposed to be, and finished the second tattoo as quick as he could (while still making it look good). They paid and left, Anxiety following behind them to lock the door and flip his 'Open' sign to 'Closed'. His hands were shaking too bad for another walk in. He tried to focus on his breathing, tried to calm down, but he couldn't.

 _No one will ever love you._

 _No one will ever fuse with you._

 _You're worthless._

 _Youre, you're, you're-_

He pulled out his phone. Phones are good, phones are safe, and fun. He scrolled through Tumblr, not seeing what was flying across his dash. Just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, until he didn't feel like his heart was going to explode.

And then, once he looked up from the void and saw his reflection in the window, he broke down all over again. Remy was staring back at him, with a judgemental expression and a sneer. His lips were moving but Anxiety couldn't hear any sounds. He closed his eyes and tried to push out his swarming thoughts, but he glanced up at the glass again. This time it was Missy. Her eyes were full of pity, she shook her head and looked away. Anxiety could see tears streaming down her face.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck-

He was going to hurt them by not being with them. He was going to hurt them by being with them. There was no fucking way to win.

Frustration forced its way out of him with a shout as he swiped his arms across his desk, sending his art supplies flying.

Everything was silent.

He stood there, panting, as his trait was satisfied. His anxiety shriveled away to come back later, when he least wanted it. His knees buckled, and he caught himself on the desk.

"Jesus Christ, Virge." He muttered to himself, rubbing his hand over his sweaty forehead. Eventually, he was able to kneel down and pick up his pencils and markers.

One at a time. That's right. Simple tasks. One at a time…

Lastly, he grabbed his sketchbook, which was face down. When he picked it up, he saw a red marker under it, the lid nowhere to be found. Looking at the sketchbook, he sighed.

Anxiety sat down on the floor, frowning down at the drawing he unintentionally ruined. Across the drawing of Missy, there was now a dark red slash; where marker had smeared across paper.

Something about the sight made a sorrow fill his chest. He didn't mean to be bad…

Suddenly, the doctors voice rang in his ears, " _Your attacks are only going to get worse unless you take action. You need to fuse."_

He couldn't. They won't want him.

 _"You need to-"_

No! He won't! He can't! It's too much!

His phone was in his hand. When'd it get there? He didn't know, but now he was staring down at his messaging app. He couldn't. He couldn't.

Three hours and a shower later and he was standing in front of a door. He glanced down at his phone to make sure he was in the right place. Then he double checked. Just to be sure.

He should really turn back now, before it's too late- aaaand the door is opening, fuck.

"Hello, darling!" One voice said.

"Oh, I thought that was you." Another said.

Anxiety's fists were clenched tight by his sides and he tried to make eye contact but ended up a little to the left. He nodded, then tried again, using words. "Uh, yeah."

He shuffled his feet, then muttered, "Hi, Remy. Hi, Missy."

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	8. Patton

On Sundays, the daycare is open from six in the morning until one in the afternoon. This is mostly so people can go to church and not have a screaming baby interrupting conversations with the Lord. Gender Expression has told Morality their feelings on the subject multiple times. They'd rather have the weekends off. Morality always reminds them to think of other people's busy schedules (and that they don't work at all on Saturdays).

Besides, they usually have a small crowd on Sundays and get to close early. Such was the case today; the last of the kiddos had hopped off with their parents, chattering away about their time at daycare. After tidying up some messes and getting things ready for tomorrow morning, their work was done and it had just turned noon.

"What are you going to do with your afternoon?" Morality asked, turning off the lights behind them. He waited by Expression's side as they locked the door.

Expression shrugged, "I was actually planning on going over to the tattoo parlor."

Morality gasped excitedly, grabbing Expression's hands and squeezing them, "Are you gonna get the kitties today!?"

"No, Morie." Expression snorted, "I'm just going to set up an appointment today. Give 'em a few ideas and put down the deposit. Boring stuff."

Morality pouted. "Oh." Then, brightened up again immediately, "Can I come?"

"Sure." Expression put the daycare keys in their purse and started walking. Morality quickly followed after them. "I've never actually been to this guy before, but I've seen his artwork online and I figured, 'why not?'."

"Does it matter who does it?" Morality asked.

"Yeah, kinda." Expression stopped at the corner, thinking for a second. "You want someone with a good art style, one that matches what you want. You can't go up to a cartoonist and demand a realistic piece."

Morality held his hand out in front of Expression, looking both ways down the street, before allowing them to cross. "That makes sense."

"Plus, he's twenty bucks cheaper than the only other tattoo parlor in the area." Expression grinned, they winked at Morality, who only shook his head, smiling. They didn't get paid very well for their jobs, but that was fine by him. He, unlike Expression, didn't have very expensive hobbies.

"Where are you gonna get it?" Morality asked as they started down another block, passing a flower shop and a winery. He paused to smell some flowers that were sitting out in the sunlight.

Expression waited for him to catch back up, rolling up their sleeves so show a bare spot on their forearm, "I was thinking here, actually."

Morality inspected the naked spot. Yup. That's skin.

He grinned at them, "It'll look great!"

They finished their walk shortly after, arriving in front of a dark building. Expression frowned, peering inside the windows. "That's weird. The hours say they don't close until four…"

Patton moved to look through the glass. It was too dark for him to see anything, but he thought _maybe_ he saw shadows shifting in the dark. Something moving inside there. "Well, they're definitely closed now."

"That sucks." Expression sighed. "Maybe they're sick."

"Maybe their wife just gave birth and their baby was just born today!" Morality said, finally moving away from the glass. Expression snorted again, shaking their head.

"Yeah, maybe, Morie." They tapped their chin, thinking out loud, "I'll have to stop by tomorrow after work. Want to come back again?"

"I can't tomorrow." Morality pouted, "I have to help my neighbor bake a cake for her granddaughter's birthday." He waved his friend off, "I don't really need to be here for the beginning parts, anyway. I just want to see the actual tattooering."

Expression shrugged, "If you say so." They gave the tattoo parlor one last glance, "So, what now? Wanna go home?"

Morality shook his head frantically, "No! We need to make this walk have _purpose_! We need validation for walking all the way to a closed shop! We need ICE CREAM!"

"YEAH!" Expression cheered, throwing a fist in the air.

With that, Morality lead the charge towards the nearest ice cream shop. They giggled to each other the entire way, trying to decide which flavor they were in the mood for.

"Chocolate, every time." Morality argued.

"Nu-huh." Expression shook their head, their fiery hair whipping them in the face. "Pistachio is the way to go."

They stood in line and ordered their cones. Once they were up at the front counter, Morality patted their pockets, only to discover them empty. He frowned, checked each pocket, then checked them again. He turned to the cashier, genuinely upset, "I am so so sorry, I forgot my wallet!"

"What?" Expression asked, pausing in eating their own cone.

"I think I left it at the daycare!" Patton was worried now, mostly because the poor worker had done such a good job at making that cone. He hoped they felt appreciated.

Expression laughed at him, pulling some bills out of their purse. "Stop freaking out, I'll cover it."

They handed the money to the cashier, taking the cone in return. Then, they transferred the cone into Morality's hands with a grin. With the transaction over, they stepped out of the way for other customers. Morality called one last, "Sorry! Thank you!" to the cashier, who waved at him in response.

"Thank you so much, Express. You're a lifesaver." Morality said, taking a small lick from his chocolate cone. "I'll pay you back."

"It was, like, four bucks. You don't have to-"

"It wouldn't be _right_." Morality interrupted, sounding almost frantic. "I'll pay you back right now. Do you mind heading back to the daycare? I know my wallet is there."

Expression stared at him for a second, before seeming to realize how important this was for Morality. They nodded and said, "Sure, my apartment is that way, anyway."

Mortality relaxed almost instantly, realizing he'd be able to fix his mistake and repay his friend. They walked in comfortable semi-silence, eating their ice cream in peace. Every once and awhile, Morality would point at an interesting cloud, or Expression would point out a pretty girl. Morality had finished about half his cone by the time they got to the daycare. They slowed down as they got closer, realizing someone was standing outside the front doors. The person was staring into the glass, not unlike they were doing an hour ago. It was weird, seeing someone hovering around his workplace.

Before he could do anything, Expression shouted, "HEY! What are you doing!?"

The person jumped, surprised, and turned around. It was a man; a Side. Morality got a good look at him, and felt his heart stop in his chest.

His ice cream slipped out of his hand, falling to the ground to become a snack for ants later. He felt his mouth go dry as he saw his surprise reflected on the other man's face. On his face.

"Uh-" The guy said, glancing back and forth between Expression and Morality. "I was just-"

Morality interrupted him, speeding up to the other man, grabbing his hand, and shaking it vigorously. "HI I'M PATTON!"

"Holy shit." Expression said, stepping up to look at them. "He looks like you."  
"My Side is Morality and I like puppies and I work here and I love you!" Patton said in an excited rush, still shaking the other man's hand. Then, just because he really wanted to, Patton engulfed the other man in a hug. He squeezed his Side tightly and then pulled back, grinning up at him.

He looked almost entirely identical to Patton, except he didn't need glasses. Upon closer inspection, one of his eyes was a different color than the other. While his left eye was a deep brown, like Patton's, his right eye was a bright golden amber. The only other difference between the two was that Patton's hair was darker, while as the other man had a more blond-ish color. Although, his blond-ish hair was hidden under a black fedora, so who knew it's full color.

"What's your name?" Patton asked, taking the other man's hands again. His nails were painted black and yellow. How cute!

"Uh-" The other Side said, then, cleared his throat, and tried again. "You can call me De-"

"Dee?" Patton asked.

The man pulled a hand away to clear his throat once more. His cheeks had darkened slightly, and Patton wanted to cuddle the other man and make him feel better. He took a deep breath, and when he looked back at Patton, he appeared less _dear-in-the-headlights_.

"You can call me Destiny." Destiny smiled, pulling Patton's hand up to press a small kiss to his knuckles. Now Patton was the one with rosy cheeks. He let out a giggle, unsure of what to say.

"Oh! It's, um, it's very nice to meet you Destiny."

Expression pushed in between the two of them, glaring at Destiny, "Why were you looking into the daycare? Did you want to see some kids? Are you a pervert?"

"Heavens, no!" Destiny said, sounding shocked. He placed a hand on his chest, turning to say to Patton, "I was only hoping to catch a glimpse of you."  
"Me?" Patton whispered, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He couldn't take his eyes off the other man. _Destiny_. How poetic.

"So you're a stalker." Expression said, crossing their arms. Patton couldn't imagine why Expression was being so mean to his Side, but they were usually right about these things. Patton looked worriedly back at Destiny, hoping it wasn't true.

Destiny shook his head again, calmly, "Actually, _little girl_ , I only just saw -" He smiled pleasantly at him, "Patton, was it? - a few days ago. Suspecting that he was my Side, I wanted to learn more about him. I didn't know anything except that he worked here, _so_ I was looking for a phone number or work hours, where I could stop by to … _introduce_ myself."

Patton felt his stomach dip, like he was at the top of a roller coaster. He was looking for _Patton_. No one ever looked for him. He was the one who went out, trying to find his soulmates. But this beautiful man cared so much that he was trying to get in contact with Patton. He felt like he was one step closer to being Established already. Smiling, Patton informed him, "You found me."

"That I did." Destiny said, offering up the smallest, most beautiful smile Patton had ever seen.

Expression cleared their throat and said, "Mori, aren't you _forgetting_ something?"

Patton had absolutely no idea what he had forgotten. Which made sense to him. If he remembered what it was, he wouldn't have forgotten it. Then, he realized what it must be, "OH! I should give you my phone number!"

"That you should." Destiny said, smirking at a frustrated Expression. He handed Patton his phone, and he dutifully punched in his numbers. He saved his name with a few emoji hearts, picking his favorite colors. He knew Destiny wouldn't mind.

"No!" Expression groaned, "I meant _the wallet!_ "

When he handed the phone back, Patton realized why they even came back to the daycare in the first place. "Oh yeah! We should do that, huh?"

"Well, I think I should take my leave." Destiny said, slipping his phone back in his pocket. He took Patton's hand again, gently rubbing little circles with his thumb onto the back of his hand. "It _truly_ has been a pleasure."

He pressed another kiss to Patton's knuckles, causing Patton's face to flush once more. Destiny smirked and said, " _Morality_. Small fire child."

Then, he turned around the corner and disappeared out of sight. Patton pulled his hand to his chest, his other hand repeating the thumb thing on himself. He kept staring at the spot where he stood. He can barely believe it.

He met his other Side.

And he was so nice!

Expression opened the door once more, speeding inside to grab Patton's wallet, which was sitting on the table, in clear view. They shoved it back into Patton's hands, snapping him out of his thoughts.  
"I have a bad feeling about that guy." Expression grumbled.

Patton was going to respond, but got distracted by his phone vibrating. He looked down and saw that he had a new message from an unknown number.

 _Dinner tomorrow? ;)_

Patton rushed to respond with a big ol' heck yes! He wanted to have dinner with Destiny right _now_! He couldn't wait to have Destiny by his side forever. He couldn't wait to become Established with him.

And suddenly, he felt a little more whole.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	9. Roman Side

Roman chomped on a banana as he walked into his living room. It was coming close to seven o'clock, and his friends would be over soon. They all had such busy schedules that they could only meet up for practice fairly late in the afternoon. Roman's roommate was laying on the couch, scrolling through his phone.

"Hey, Dis, my friends will be over to practice in a minute." Roman reminded him.

Kai pouted without looking away from his phone, "'Kay. I'll skidaddle skadoodle."

"Your mom is now a noodle." Roman grinned, watching as Kai stood up and cracked his back. Roman glanced at his roommates' hair, "Are you gonna dye it again soon?"

"Yeah, I was thinking maybe this weekend." Kai pulled at one of his brown locks. "I'm thinking gray again. Wanna help?"

"Ugh, I can't." Roman sighed, "I already agreed to help Pop Culture make her outfit for a one-two-women show she's making. But I can't wait to see the end result. It'll look flawless."

Kai snorted and walked past him, "Thanks. I'll be in my room, try not to destroy the place again."

"Sir, yes sir." Roman saluted the shorter man's retreating form. The two of them were randomly paired to be roommates freshman year, and they got along well enough that they decided to get an apartment together this year. They got on each other's nerves sometimes; Kai would leave his binders on the floor, Roman would accidently send a sword through the wall - the little things. But Roman knew he'd always come to his little prince's rescue, if need be, and that's what mattered.

There was a knock at the door and Roman quickly flung it open, grinning at whoever was on the other side. A short man greeted him with a very enthusiastic, "HELLO!"

"Hi, Silly." Roman said. He glanced around before asking, "Where's Performance?"

Just then, Silly jumped aside and an identical man was standing behind him. Roman was greeted with another excited, "HELLO!"  
Roman stepped aside to let the Sides in, mumbling to himself, "Ah, there he is, okay."

Silly and Performance were each other's Sides, but they prefer not to fuse. Instead, they just hung off of each other; constantly holding hands or bumping shoulders. The two were inseparable, and very noisy. Roman adored them.

While the three waited for the others, they pushed the couch against the wall to make more room. They then got into a playful argument about the pros and cons of wearing socks with sandals (Roman was obviously on the con's side), which led to Silly laughing so hard he had tears streaming down his cheeks.

There was another knock at the door and Roman answered it. His friend Trivia waved at him and stepped inside. Roman glanced at the clock on the wall and pointed out, "Pop Culture's late."

"Did you know," Trivia started, "chronic lateness is a side effect of having a Type B personality?"

Roman tried to sound interested, "Really?"

"Scientists have tested it, and Type A people feel that a minute is 58 seconds and Type B people feel a minute is 77 seconds, and that time adds up. So Type B people are always late to things; while Type A people get impatient quicker." Trivia explained, mostly unprompted.

Roman nodded for a second, and when he couldn't come up with a response to that, he just ushered his friend inside, "Okay, go sit down."

The men joked around for a bit until there was a final knock at the door. Roman left the group to answer it once more and wasn't surprised to see Pop Culture panting in the hallway.

"We're here. I'm here. Yay." Pop said in between breaths. "I ran up all those stairs."

Roman grinned, "While I approve of your valiant effort and passion, we could have waited the three minutes it would've taken you to walk."

Pop grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the hall, the apartment door closing behind him. Roman frowned, confused and a little startled, as Pop spoke quickly. "Ro, this morning I met this guy and he looked _exactly_ like you!"

Roman's expression went slack. Immediately, images of that Side came to mind. A prince would never lie, but even he didn't want to admit that the other man had been consuming his thoughts since they met. He didn't know what it was about him, but Roman couldn't stop replaying their conversation.

Pop Culture continued, "He said that he talked to you, too. He was very smart and kind, his name was-"

"Logic." Roman said, his voice distant. He frowned to himself, crossing his arms. He didn't need to talk to him. He already told him that they weren't Sides, because Roman was born Established. The fact that this Logic fellow was approaching his friends didn't sit well with him. It seemed like a good idea to avoid the other man entirely.

"Yeah!" Pop nodded enthusiastically. "You remember him? He said he wanted to meet Remy and Missy."

Roman's heart tripped, leaving a burn in his chest. "What?"

Pop nodded once more, watching him carefully. "Uh-huh. He said you told him about them. I don't think he wants to fuse with you anymore; I think he got the hint."

"...Oh." Roman wasn't sure why, but he felt like he was just kicked in the gut by some sort of witch … dragon… dragon witch. He scratched the back of his neck and chewed his lip. "Yeah, that's great for Remy and Missy."

One of Pop Culture's left hands tapped her shoulder, she looked at it, and the other left hand held up a napkin. "Oh, gracias." She held out the napkin to him, "He gave this to us."

Roman took the napkin, looking down at the faded phone number scribbled on it. He rubbed the soft paper with his thumb. Why did he suddenly feel like his princess was stolen from her castle?

He decided to ignore his emotions; stuffing the napkin in his pocket. "Okay, no more talk of that dweeb. C'mon, the others are waiting."

"But-"

"Let's go, vamonos."

The two went back into the apartment and Roman entered Director Mode. He ignored anything that wasn't dance practice, encouraging his friends to repeat the trickier parts of their routine over and over.

By the end of it, Performance was dizzy from spinning; Pop Culture had unfused out of exhaustion; and Trivia was slouched against the couch, taking a breather. Silly, who was just there to support his Side, had gotten distracted shortly after practice started, and was now asleep under the kitchen table. All in all, it was a very successful night.

"Great job everyone," Roman said, glancing at the clock, "But it's almost Kai's bedtime and he gets salty when the music's too loud."

"I should get that one home anyway." Performance muttered, walking to the kitchen. He crawled under the table and gently shook Silly awake.

Trivia yawned, "Did you know, humans spend a third of their life asleep?"

"That's great, buddy." Roman said, opening the door for the Side. They said their goodbyes, and then Performance and Silly were leaving shortly after. That only left Harry and Theo; who were sitting on the ground next to each other.

Theo helped Harry up, who was griping, "Why couldn't you have a more relaxed hobby?"

"Dancing is fun!" Theo responded.

"Nice work today, ladies." Roman said, patting them each on a shoulder. Theo grinned at him, but Harry was frowning.

Harry jabbed him in the chest, "You better text that boy."

"I said hush-hush about the man-crush!" Roman hissed.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Who said anything about a crush?"

Well. Shit. Roman's face grew redder than his favorite jacket. He closed his eyes and let out a sharp breath. "I didn't mean it like that."

Harry crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face. "Suuure."

"Heritage, let's go, my feet hurt." Theo whined, tugging on her Side's sleeve. Harry agreed quietly and the two made their way to the door. Harry left first, waving goodbye at Roman. Theo left with a final, "You know she's only teasing. We don't care if you don't talk to him. He just seemed nice."

Roman was quiet for a second, his fingers itching to pull out the napkin in his pocket. "I'll help him get in contact with Remy and Missy. But that's all."

Theo shrugged, "Okay. See ya at practice!"

She closed the door and Roman was left alone in his living room. After a short moment of just standing there, thinking; he turned off the lights and headed down the hall. He stopped outside Kai's room. Peeking inside, he saw that the other man had fallen asleep while doing his homework. _Parks and Rec_ was playing on his computer, and Roman almost wanted to walk in and pause it. He decided against it, knowing that Netflix would eventually ask if Kai wanted to continue watching.

Roman wished that his roommate wasn't asleep yet. He kind of wanted to ask him about this whole Logic thing. Kai had never met any of his Sides, but he was a knight of Roman's royal court, and his opinion was trusted.

This led to Roman laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. His mind was doing laps, running circles around the enigma that was Logic Side. Roman realized he didn't even know Logic's Established name. Roman _then_ realized that he _wanted_ to know Logic's Established name.

That certainly won't do. Pushing these thoughts away, Roman picked up his phone and rolled on his side. He noticed he had some texts from his group chat with Remy and Kai.

Remy sent a billion and one messages about some new Side he and Missy met. Roman didn't read all of them, but he seemed really excited to meet them tonight. Kai sent back one (1) thumbs up emoji.

Roman started to type: _Hey, I think I have another one to send your way lmao_

He stared at the message before quickly deleting it. He tried again: _Haaaaave you met Logic?_

That wasn't right either. Delete; again.

 _That's gr8 bro; i met a hottie that looks like u_

Getting worse. Once more:

 _After you meet this guy, you'll only have one left._

Roman sighed, erasing the message one last time. Finally, he closed out of the group chat, sending back nothing more than a ' _Hell yeah'_.

He grabbed his pants from the floor and fished in his pocket for the napkin. In the darkness, he squinted at the numbers. One by one, he punched them into his phone.

 _You're side's name are Remus "Sleep" Side and Missy "Complements" Side. They're good people. Don't hurt them._

His finger hovered over the send button, but his stomach was twisted in too much of a knot for him to go through with it. He ended up deleting that message as well. He was never going to craft something elegant enough to express himself; so he went the exact opposite route.

It was time for Casual Banter.

 _How's the Search for the Sides goin? :p_

Perfect. Roman pushed send before he could chicken out. Afterwards, he turned his phone on silent and dropped it on the ground. He didn't allow himself to look at it again that night. Instead, he waited until his mind quieted enough for sleep to overtake him.

The ball was in Logic's court now.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	10. Destiny

' _Okay, Deceit_ ,' he thought to himself, standing on Patton's front porch. ' _Showtime_ '.

He knocked on the door and was startled to hear the distinct sound of someone scrambling down the stairs. Then, the scrambling halted. There was a beat. The door swung open, and Deceit was blinded by the pure excitement radiating off of Patton.

"You look," Deceit's gaze pulled away from Patton's shy smile and imploring eyes to glance down at the rest of the babysitter's outfit. He was wearing dark jeans that complemented his tan cardigan. Deceit brushed a hand down his own suit absentmindedly, and settled on, "...cute."

Patton's eyes lit up, his smile cranking up a few watts. "Oh! Gosh, thank you! You look _amazing_! Am I under-dressed?"

Deceit smoothed out the wrinkle in his eyebrows, putting on his most charming smile, "Oh, _darling, no_! Anyone would be _honored_ to have a date as handsome as you."

Patton's cheeks flushed dark, his mouth gaping like a fish. Deceit smiled and held a hand out, "Shall we?"  
Patton mutely nodded, taking his hand and letting Deceit lead him to his car. It was a sleek, black Mustang with tinted windows. Deceit and the car had been through countless times together. He loved the car. He called it Black Beauty. It was a hand-me-down from his father. When Patton asked about the car, he told him as such. Deceit wasn't afraid to admit his connection to ol' Beauty. Patton started talking then, and Deceit, he was paying a _lot_ of attention.

"So, uh," Patton said after a short silence, "have you ever met one of our Sides before?"  
"No, you would be my first." Deceit winked at him, and Patton blinked in confusion, clearly missing the inudo.

He quickly threw in a nervous laugh and admitted, "Yeah, me neither. To be honest, I was surprised you found me. Not that I was hiding!" He laughed, and Deceit played along with a friendly chuckle. Patton continued, awkwardly scratching his neck, "But I had no idea you were even in the same city as me! Imagine the luck!"

Deceit shrugged, "The universe works in ways beyond comprehension, I suppose."

Patton giggled, "Yeah, whatever that means."

No one noticed that Deceit's fingers had tightened their grip on the wheel and remained that way for the rest of the ride.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Deceit helped Patton out of the car and into the building. Patton gasped and looked around at the exquisite Italian decor. Deceit glanced over the table and read the soonest reservation upside-down, while the hosts were busy.

Patton and the host arrived by his side at the same time. Deceit wrapped an arm around Patton's waist and smiled at the host. "Reservation for Dr. Pando."

The host grabbed two menus, then hesitated, upon better inspection. She squinted at him, "Aren't you two Sides?"

"Well, sure," Deceit said smoothly, stepping around the host table, arm still wrapped around Patton. The host naturally started walking with them, in a strange half-following, half-leading dance. "But there are quite a few things one can do while a Side. Did you hear they're debating if Sides should have the right to vote? Astounding."

They reached their table, and the host set the menus down, clearly thrown off her rhythm. "Uh, yeah. Your waiter will be with you shortly."

They sat down as she walked off. Deceit got situated on the chair, rearranging his soup spoon and his dessert spoon to his liking. He looked up when Patton chirped, "I didn't know they were gonna let Sides vote."

"Hm?" Deceit glanced up from what he was doing, remembering Patton was there. Who's voting? Oh, yes, that thing. He shrugged it off and opened his menu, "Now that you mention it, I may have been thinking of something I read in a novel."

"Oh?" Patton's smile lowered slightly in confusion. "That's alright. Um, have you ever been here before?"

 _No_.

"Yes." Deceit purred, leaning across the table to gesture at the menu, "You simply _must_ have the shrimp alfredo, it's devine!"

Patton smiles down at the menu and then up at Deceit. "Alright, is that your favorite dish?"

"I'm more of a lasagna man, myself." Deceit shrugged, not caring either way. He held his chin in his hand and said, "Get whatever you like, darling, money is no issue."

Patton sputtered, insisting to only order something small. Deceit wasn't surprised; Patton was absolutely the _type_ to be humble. Deceit could almost convince himself it was endearing. When the waiter returned, Deceit ordered for them.

"My dearest soulmate will have the shrimp alfredo, and I'll have the spaghetti and meatballs. We'd also like a side of garlic bread and two glasses of your finest rosé." He waved her off with a flourish, turning to Patton with an 'I'm Interested' face. "So, darling, tell me more about yourself."

Patton was still watching the waiter's retreating form, his gaze slowly sliding over to Deceit's face. "Oh, uh- of course! Well, my name is Patton 'Morality' Side-"

"Stop!" Deceit held up a finger. Patton's words fumbled to a stop, his eyes blinking owlishly. Deceit poked Patton's button nose, earning a hesitant smile. "Tell me about that. When did you get diagnosed?"

"As Morality?" Patton thought for a second. He closed one eye when he thought, like he was some kind of pirate. Deceit thought he look more a buffoon, but the two could be synonymous. "Well, I was just a kiddo, probably around five? My mama said she knew right away."

"Hm, your traits showed?" Deceit asked. The waiter returned then, with the wine glasses. Deceit took his wordlessly, having a thankful taste of the cold beverage. Patton waited until the waiter left, thanking him quietly.

Patton took a small sip of the beverage, unsure if he liked its flavor. He swallowed, set his drink back down, and continued the conversation, "Oh, yeah. That age is when kids first start learning about right and wrong, ya'know?"

"I'm aware." Deceit smiled tightly, his gaze flicking up to look at Patton. He maintained eye contact, slowly pulling his lips into a tantalizing smile. Patton's cheeks flushed and he glanced away.

Patton continued, clearing his throat, "Well, um, I would run around and tell the smaller kids all the rules of the world."

"Oh?" That brought a genuine smile to Deceit's lips. The idea of a tiny human bossing around littler humans was delightful.

"Uh-huh. So Mama and Papa took me to get tested, and the Doc decided I was Morality!" Patton gave a little jazz hands. Then he shifted in his seat and asked, "What about you? I wasn't sure, um, is Destiny your Established name?"  
Deceit sat back and placed his hands on his lap. He had a lie right on the _tip_ of his tongue, but what slithered out was a hideous little truth, " _No_."

He watched as confusion settled on Patton's face once more. Deceit kept his cursing on the inside, like a gentlemen. He smiled through his headache. Stupid, trait pains!

Patton mumbled to himself, "Oh, well, um…"

"I only mean, not legally." Deceit explained in a rush. He took a sip of his wine and was pleased that the waiter returned with the food.

Patton was properly distracted as his meal was set in front of him. The two of them picked up their utensils and happily dug in. The food was so very _decent_ and _not at all_ worth the cost.

Patton let out a soft, happy noise as he chewed his pasta. "This is delicious! Thank you for taking me here!"

"Of course." Deceit smiles, and they fall into silence while they eat. The dinner passes with idle chatter, most of which Deceit forgets instantly. They order dessert and Deceit swipes a piece of Patton's cake, in exchange for some of his ice cream. Patton was both flattered and charmed.

Piece. Of. Cake.

Deceit asks for the check. He placed some lovely, Monopoly twenty bills in the fold. Then threw in an extra fifty for the waiter. He swooped Patton up before the other man could digest his food and they were off again in his Black Beauty.

It was dark out by the time they arrived outside Patton's place. The man in question was leaning against the car window with a sleepy smile on his face and a full belly. Deceit's throat constricted strangely at the sight of his Side in such a peaceful state. Well, anyone would be affected.

 _Shoo go away gay thoughts, shoo._ Deceit cleared his throat and gently nudged Patton's shoulder, "Dearest? We're here."

Patton's eyes fluttered open and he smiled when he saw Deceit. They climbed out of the car and Deceit led them up to Patton's door. He held the other man's hand, like, the entire time. They hovered outside the door, on the paw-print doormat.

"Do you have pets?" Deceit asked, concerned.

"No," Patton shrugged, "I just like them."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So-"

"I-"

"Oh, sorry, you-"

"No, no, my bad, um-"

The two glanced at each other, then Patton burst into giggles. Deceit couldn't help but watch the other man radiate pure joy and _goodness_. He couldn't help but feel a small laugh sputter out of his own lips as well.

Deceit reached for Patton's hands, and the two ended up pressed close to one another, noses bumping. Patton's words were enchanted, hushed and pure, "I had a wonderful time tonight."

"I've always dreamed of this moment." Deceit whispers, like a confession, "Of the first night with the first Side I meet. The beginning of the rest of our lives together."

Patton's eyes sparkled in the low light, his cheeks pink. He admitted, "Me too. Destiny, can I tell you something?"

"Of course, darling, you can tell me anything." Deceit responded immediately, batting his eyes for good measure.

Patton nuzzled himself close to Deceit's chest, pressing his face under Deceit's chin. "I'm glad that I met you first."

Deceit felt the gentle brush of lips on the skin of his neck. He felt the hair on his arms stand on end, and the breath be pulled out of his lungs. His grip on Patton tightened, and he knew Patton did the same.

Tighter and tighter-

closer and closer-

Gone.

When Deceit opened his eyes again, he wasn't Deceit anymore.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	11. Logan

Logic stared at the textbook in front of him, idly flicking the corner of the page as the words blurred together. A slight ache had started to form in the back of his head, and his thoughts kept straying away from his studies.

His eyes flicked to the phone, sitting innocently on the desk next to him. He didn't typically get distracted from studying, least of all by his _cell phone_ , of all things. But this morning he had woken up to a text from an unknown number.

After sending a couple of messages back and forth, he had discovered that it was none other than _Roman_. As in, his hypothetical theatrical Side. The concept had been boggling his mind since breakfast, and he has been unable to untangle these conflicting ideas.

Why would Roman message him? And so casually?

"Are you okay?"

Logic looked up to see Structure staring at him. The two were studying together, hanging out in Structure's dorm room. Their room was neat, but not minimalistic. Along their walls were essays, photos, and maps. Some were linked together by string. Logic had spent half an hour inspecting all of Structure's observations and plans when he had first visited his friend's dorm. They had many interests, and the thought webs on their wall was a puzzle Logic could not ignore.

One day, Logic was pleased to find the start of a small web on the wall near Structure's desk. It was a single sticky note with his name on it. Below his name was a short, bullet-pointed list.

Logic (Logan) Side

\- Logic, not Logan (he/him)

\- Looking for other sides - found one?

\- Chem/Phys double major

\- Enjoys jam?

\- A friend

Next to his sticky note was a picture of himself. He knew where the other had found it, it was his social media icon. Logic believed that one's internet presence was as important as one's professional presence. Therefore, any and all social media icons he had were the same photo of himself: a professional headshot of him in a black button down and a blue tie. The photo Logic was not smiling. When Logic first saw the picture of himself on Structure's wall, he couldn't help a small, pleased smile.

Now, Logic was sitting at Structure's desk, while they were lounging across their bed. Logic hesitated, he had been spacing out, staring at his thought web. The words ' _found one?'_ flashed behind Logic's eyes when he blinked. Finally, he set his book aside and said, "Yes, I'm fine. I apologize; I'm distracted."

"Thinking about your Side?" Structure closed their own textbook and sat back. They had a teasing smile on their face, like they were pleased by Logic's distress.

Logic nodded and picked up his phone. He pulled up Roman and his conversation and showed it to Structure. "He contacted me last night. We've been communicating all day."

He watched silently as Structure read through the texts. He didn't need to look at them, he had them memorized already.

Unknown Number: _How's the Search for the Sides goin? :p_

Logic: _Relentless, yet, frustratingly fruitless. May I ask who I am speaking to?_

Unknown Number: _it's roman lol_

When Logic had read those words; he was getting ready for the day and, suddenly, all of his relentless, echoing thoughts fell silent. He stared at the screen and he had no idea what to say.

Thankfully, Roman had sent a new message before he could respond. The next message was just as perplexing as the last.

Unknown Number: _I can introduce you to your Sides, but only after you pass my trials!_

Logan: _What type of trials? Am I expected to pass a test before being allowed to meet my soulmates and Sides?_

Unknown Number: _uh,,,, yee_

Logan: _Very well._

However, then there was a lull in their conversation. Logic didn't receive another message from the other man until half an hour later, when he was inquiring about Logic's major. He informed Roman that he was a Chemistry and Physics double major with a minor in Astrophysics. Roman told him he was a Theater and Dance major, unprompted.

The information made Logic smile. He had made an educated assumption, but was pleased that it was confirmed. They continued making conversation for the rest of the day, until now. It was well into the afternoon, almost dinner time, and Logic was waiting for Roman to respond to his text about their ongoing _Star Wars_ vs _Star Trek_ debate.

Logic had never expected the other man to be such an excellent conversationalist.

They never did go into further detail about the trials Logic supposedly has to pass. He decided this must mean his responses were being analyzed somehow. Roman was testing him, as they spoke.

But for every time Logic thought a question was going to lead to his inevitable judgement, he would receive a new text, and the conversation would continue. Logic was never much of a "texter", but he was checking his phone every second he could. Whenever he saw Roman's number flash across his screen, his mood lifted slightly.

It was intriguing and terrifying at once. How could one stranger affect him so intensely? He was unsure if his reactions were his biology pointing him in the correct direction; or if it was his own misguided human hope that was causing an anomaly in his data.

"Sweet," Structure said, handing his phone back to him. Logic felt his mind refocus, shifting all his thoughts away to listen to his friend. He felt the weight of his phone in his hand. He looked down at the screen - no new messages. "Sounds like he likes you."

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Logic asked, his tone curious, yet guarded. He watched Structure carefully as they snickered.

"Well, you have spent the entire day talking about absolutely nothing." Structure said with a grin.

Logic frowned, "We didn't discuss nothing, we were conversing on multiple subjects. Did you not read the messages?"

Structure waved their hand dismissively, "It was banter. He's just trying to keep your attention."

Logic looked away as he felt heat rise to his cheeks, "Surely not. He's just … friendly. And he said I must pass a test before he will introduce me to possible other Sides."

"Uh-huh." Structure said, still smiling at him in a way Logic didn't want to dissect. "Do you still think he's lying about being Established?"

Logic nodded, "He may be telling the truth, but it doesn't seem likely. I mean, he said he was _born_ Established. That's simply not possible."

Structure hummed in agreement. They picked up their book and said, "Well, he's either your Side or he knows your Sides. So it's a win-win situation either way."

Logic looked down at the phone in his hands. He wondered when Roman was going to message him again, and what they were going to talk about next. He thought about the possibility that Roman was telling the truth.

If Roman wasn't his Side, would he stop talking to Logic once he was introduced to his other, _actual_ Sides? Would their tentative acquaintanceship fall apart the moment Logic no longer required fusion from Roman?

The thought of Roman never messaging him again made something in his chest ache. He knew it was illogical to get as attached to the other man as instantly as he had. They had, quite literally, only been talking to one another for a day. And already, Logic didn't want to stop.

His phone lit up, Logic silently opened his messaging app and found that Roman had sent him a gif of Han Solo winking, in response to his last text.

Logic smiled.

"What are you going to do if he's not your Side?" Structure asked. Their voice was quiet, they were watching Logic carefully as he fiddled with his phone. He was trying to think of a response. To both his friend and the gif.

"I don't know." Logic said, thinking out loud, "Obviously, if he's not my Side, then the likelihood that these other individuals he knows _are_ my Sides increases. Which would mean I would find two Sides at once."

Structure pulled a face. "That's scary. I would hate to find my other Sides all at once, or if they out number me. I want to find them one at a time."

Logic shook his head, "Why? Then you take longer to reach Establishment."

"Well, if they've already met, that means they already mean something to each other. They know each other, love each other. It feels …" They thought for the right word, before settling on, "messy. To step into all of that."

"It takes coordination on everyone's part. That's why we're _Sides_." Logic huffed, unable to come up with a witty or smart response to the gif. He thinks about not responding, but he doesn't want Roman to stop messaging him. He sends a text, starting a new conversation.

Logic: _When was your Establishment Ceremony? How old were you?_

Structure's voice made him look up from his phone. "There is always the statistical probability that _none_ of these people are your Sides."

"That's true." Logic said. There were seven billion people in the world, after all. Any four of them could be Logic's Sides; the odds of them meeting were one in 1,750,000,000. Some would say that searching for your Sides defied reason. He allowed himself to ignore this reality when confronting the topic.

His phone lit up again; Roman had ignored his questions. Suspicious. He made a mental note of the behavior. He read Roman's text, then asked Structure, "What do you think of Roman's trials tactic?"

"I think that these other Sides he keeps talking about don't exist and he's wasting your time until he can get the balls to admit he's not Established." Structure said, taking off their hat and scratching their head. "Or, Theory Number Two; they are real people, and he's trying to protect them, by making sure you're not an asshole."

Logic nodded to himself, and mumbled, "Yes, those were my thoughts as well."

The two Sides fell silent as Structure continued their work and Logic read and reread his most recent message. A chill ran down his spine, and he wasn't sure if it was from thrill or unnerves.

Unknown Number: _Alpha Zeta Pi's house - 10pm, your first trial starts then ;)_

* * *

Tell me what you think! :)


	12. Anxiety Side

He doesn't know why he did it; maybe it was his instincts pulling him closer to his Sides. But before he could brace himself, Anxiety was being pulled into Remy and Missy's apartment. They had a nice place, a good size with plenty of windows. It had high ceilings and an open floor plan; a half-wall separates the livingroom and the kitchen.

Anxiety awkwardly toes off his shoes and lets himself be dragged to the couch. As Remy plops down beside him, Missy shoves a tray of fruits and cheeses in his face.

"Snacks?" She chirped.

"Um-"

Remy picked up a wine glass from the side table, "We have red or white?"

Anxiety immediately shook his head, the last thing he needed was to get wine drunk and start crying about how sad his life is. "No thank you. Um, I don't drink."

"No worries, more for us later." Remy said, setting the glass back down. Missy had put the cheese platter on the coffee table and sat on Anxiety's other side. He felt himself curl further into himself; they were surrounding him, and he could feel them slowly moving closer and closer - choking him until he could only see black.

"Shh, deep breaths." Missy said, quietly. "Are we overwhelming?"

Anxiety closed his eyes and did as instructed. He could feel the air moving through his body; filling his lungs. He glanced at Remy, then to Missy. Neither of them had moved; they weren't even touching him. He needed to calm down for Christ's sake. Why was he so panicked around them? Wasn't being near your Sides supposed to make you feel better?  
"No, sorry." Anxiety said, clearing his throat. He sat back and tried to not look annoyed or terrified. "I was just, um, lost in thought."

"I'd love to share your thoughts." Remy said, pulling a leg up on the couch and turning towards him.

"You are a thot." Missy responded, throwing a grape at him.

Anxiety snickered at that, but he immediately regretted it when he saw how both of their faces lit up at the sound. They were so clearly trying desperately to get him to like them, and he (kind of) does! But something in his gut just felt so _wrong_ about it.

Missy tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a tattoo artist." Anxiety told them.

"Can we see your tattoos?" Remy asked, leaning closer. Silently, Virgil pulled up his sleeves to show off his arms. On his left, he had a series of webs around his shoulder and elbow, while spiders crawled up and down his arm. On the right arm, he had a big My Chemical Romance tattoo. He wanted to get more, but he wasn't sure what to get.

"Will those show through fusion?" Missy asked, her tone concerned.

Anxiety shrugged, "Depends on the fusion. I wouldn't know; haven't tried."

"Do you want to?"

It was Remy who asked it, but Anxiety wasn't able to look at him. He had been watching Missy, and the question made him freeze. Missy watched is reaction and calmly stood up.

She took Remy's hand and pulled him up as well. Anxiety glanced between the two of them, trying not to bite his lip out of nerves.

"We aren't going to make you fuse, if you don't want to." Missy said to him. She smiled, a little hopeful, a little nervous, and said, "But we wanted you to meet someone."

"Sorry in advance." Remy said with a snort.

Before Virgil could think of what to say next, the two before him were fusing. Awkwardly, Anxiety glanced away, not wanting to intrude on their moment. He only looked up again when he heard someone sigh.

The person standing before him was tall; almost seven feet. They had two pairs of arms; which they took their time stretching. They had four eyes as well; one pair sitting below the other. They sighed and put a pair of Remy's sunglasses on over two of their eyes. When they glanced at Anxiety, the biggest smile spread across their face.

"Hi!" They plopped down on the couch next to him, with a force so strong Anxiety felt himself bounce on the cushion. The fusion then grabbed both of Anxiety's hands, shaking them excitedly, "I'm just so darned Slap Happy to meet'cha!"

"Slap Happy?" Anxiety said, pulling his hands free.

Slap Happy then let out a cackle and smacked their knees with each hand; _one-two, three-four_. "That's me!" They suddenly lowered their voice, threw two arms around Anxiety's shoulder, and said, "Now, I gotta tell ya somethin' real serious-like."

"Uh-"

"Rem and Mis? It ain't their first rodeo, you know?" Slap said, jabbing a finger into Anxiety's chest, "But here's the thing, fella, they fell off the last time they stepped in the ring. And I'm not lettin' that happen again, see?"  
Anxiety glanced away, shifting away from the fusion. "I'm sorry about that. I'm not trying to, um, hurt them."

"Hurt them?" Slap burst out into laughter again, their head thrown back, their feet kicking. "Honey, they have each other! Who's got you?"

Anxiety was pulled back close to the fusion's side. He didn't respond, partially because he had no one and partially because they didn't stop talking.

"That was the last fella's problem. I like him, whole lot. But when things didn't work out, he had no one." Slap got quiet after that. Then they yawned, and when they looked back at Anxiety, they squinted at him, "What was I talking about?"

"Uh-"

"OH YEAH!" They shouted, grabbing Anxiety's hand again, "I was gonna say how cute you are."  
Anxiety's felt his cheeks start to burn under the fusion's intense stare. "I doubt that's what you were going to say."

Slap reached forward and poked one of Anxiety's cheeks. "Boop."

"I think it's time to go." Anxiety muttered under his breath, standing up.

Slap Happy stood up too, looking down at him with a pout. Two of their arms wrapped around them, "Are you sure? We can stay up all night." They yawned, "It'll be a sleepover."  
"Sorry." Anxiety said, unable to look at them, "Maybe next time."  
"Okay." Slap leaned down and pulled Anxiety into a tight hug. As they squeezed him, he felt his back pop in three spots. "Come back soon. Missy and Remy were super duper truper excited that you decided to come over."

"Oh, great." Anxiety said, breathless and muffled in the hug. "That's - great."

They opened the door to let him out, and he couldn't escape fast enough. He tried to keep his walking even, in case they were watching out the window.

It wasn't that he hated the two of them. But maybe he shouldn't try to interact with the both of them at the same time. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he needed to get used to both Missy and Remy alone before they could try to become a Side trouple. And being with Slap Happy only made it feel weirder. When he stared at Slap, he felt nothing for them. Wouldn't being around one of his fusions mean something?

Instead, he just felt more awkward and alone.

While he was sitting in his car, he opened his phone. He had a text from Elliot and another from Spunk. He ended up calling Spunk, who answered immediately.  
"Hey." Anxiety said, starting his car and backing out of the driveway.

"I went by the shop today and it was closed. Any idea why? Elliot says they did nothing."

"Yeah, it was me." Anxiety said. His voice was tired, and the last thing he wanted was to get in a debate with Spunk. "I had an attack and I had to shut everything down. My hands were shaking too bad to draw. Sorry."

Spunk paused, then there was another voice, deeper, asking, "What happened? Was it triggered?"

"Uh-" Anxiety could tell he was on speaker now. He was able to recognize Elliot's voice instantly. "Yeah, so I might have met two of my Sides."  
"OHMYGOD!"  
"DUDEWHAT?!"  
Anxiety sighed, pulling his cell away from his ear. Then he said, "I'm leaving their place now. Um. I'll tell you later, I guess."  
"Yeah, so you better come to work tomorrow." Spunk said into the phone, "I need all the tea, leave out no details."

Elliot made a humming noise of agreement, "When will we meet them?"  
"I don't know. I don't even know if they are my real Sides or not." Anxiety said, stopping at a stoplight.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Elliot asked, "If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck-"

Anxiety sighed, repeating, "I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right." He suddenly didn't want to be on the phone anymore and told the others, "I have to go, it's not safe to talk and drive."

Spunk snorted, but Elliot agreed. "Okay, we'll see you at work tomorrow."  
"Yeah." Anxiety said, hanging up the phone. He stared out the window, not really seeing anything. He didn't know why he couldn't just do what he was supposed to. Why couldn't he work a full shift through a panic attack? Why couldn't he sit quietly on Slap Happy's couch? Why couldn't he just have a conversation with his friends?

Even after the light turned green, Anxiety sat still, drowning as words and worries filled his lungs.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	13. Daniel Fusion

The first breath Daniel ever took, the air was frigid cold. It was the kind of night air that you can feel travel into your lungs, cooling you from within. Immediately, Daniel shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. He glanced down; his cardigan was covered by his suit jacket, and his tie had been loosened around his neck. He grabbed at the tie with his hands. Frowning, he counted; one, two, three, four-

 _No no no_ that wasn't right. Normal humans didn't have four arms. He turned to ask Patton- and kept turning, turning on the porch. Where is Patton? He looked for De _-stiny_ , but he was missing too.

"Oh my god, oh my god," He said, "What happened?!"

Startled, he backed up into Patton's front door. Feeling the doorknob press into his back, he squeaked and scrambled away, down the steps, to the sidewalk. Catching his breath, he was bent over; two hands on his knees, while two more ran through his hair frantically.

"I-I think we fused." He said, the words fumbling from his lips. He once more inspected his four hands, then he gently felt his three eyes. There was no Denying it. He was a fusion.

Instantly, he felt a burst of excitement and wonder from deep within in chest. The elation that lifted him did a great job at squashing the little voice in his head that told him something didn't feel right.

"Destiny! This is amazing!" Daniel started walking, chattering to himself as he did so. The world looked so different as a fusion. He didn't know where his feet were leading him. The wind cut at his cheeks, and he mumbled to himself, pulling his jacket closer, "'M not cold."

He turned down a street and found himself in the middle of a bustling nightlife street. He knew this street, and yet, this was the first time he was seeing it. Patton's favorite ice cream shop was three blocks from here, and if he went left…

Daniel stopped outside a neon sign. He opened the door and stepped inside. He immediately smelled cigarette smoke in a non-smoking building. One hand held his nose, another waving the smoke off; while another his other two arms simply crossed over his chest.

Through his lips, a familiar voice drawled, " _Oh Addiction_ , testing the rules another night, I see?"

"Every night til they kick me out." Addiction said, slowly turning around. She dropped her cigarette in surprise at seeing him. "Well, I'll be damned."

"We already knew that." Daniel said, still feeling two-thirds-in-the-dark about where his words were coming from. His voice lowered, and he asked, "Where's Mister?"

"He's on bar tonight." Addiction said, looking Daniel up and down. She shook her head and said, "Lucky bastard. You diagnosed yet?"

Daniel blinked, suddenly feeling like he stepped out of a trance. He rubbed his head, feeling a pinching feeling behind his eyes. Awardly, he told the stranger, "Uh, no, I just fused. I-I haven't had time to figure anything out yet."

"How's it feel?" She asked.

Daniel hesitated. He felt… weird. It wasn't like how he thought it would be. He felt like he wanted different things, and he was confused half the time. It felt like he was spacing out, and then he'd only vaguely remember what happened. It kind of gave him a head ache.

"It's wonderful." He said finally, wrapping his arms around himself. He closed two of his eyes, and said sweetly, "I always have another person to talk to, to sort things out with. I'm never alone."

The woman hummed and stamped out the cigarette bud on the ground. Daniel watched as she turned and grabbed her drink. She held it up in salute, "Good luck, kid. What's you're name, then?"

"Dan-" He said, two of his hands clasped together nervously. "Daniel."

That only made the Side laugh, a scratchy laugh from decades of smoking. "Good luck, D."

Two hands took one of Addiction's in a small goodbye. Daniel kept moving through the bar, forcing a yawn down as he walked. It wasn't that late.

A handsome Side on his left made eye contact with him. He must have taken this as a good sign to step in front of Daniel and say over the music, "You look good tonight."

Daniel took a small step back, glancing around for an escape route. He wrung his four hands together. "Um, thank you."

"How long have you had these?" The Side asked as he felt up two of Daniel's arms.

"M-my arms?" He took another step back, but the Side stepped with him, keeping them the same too-close distance. "I only just fused for the first time, like, twenty minutes ago, um, so…"

"Oh, so this is your first night? Wanna make it a fun one?" The Side said, his smile pulling across his face into a creepy grin.

Daniel shook his head, backing up again. He said, frustratedly, "No, _no_! I'm _straight_!"

The Side looked surprised. He finally gave Daniel some space, pointedly looking into his one golden eye and asked, "You _sure_ about that?"

Again, a voice that _was_ Daniel's but _wasn't_ Daniel, said, "Fuck off, Horny, my fusion said no."

"Alright, D." The Side said, slowly stepping away. He held up his hands in surrender, "Whatever you say."

Daniel quickly walked on, ignoring how two of his hands were flipping the Side off. Finally, he arrived at an empty bar stood. He sat down and tapped at the counter anxiously. He avoided making eye contact, and reminded himself that he was having a good time.

"Deceit? Is that you?" A voice said from behind the bar.

Daniel almost got whiplash from how quickly he looked up at the bartender. Upon seeing Daniel's right eye, the Side laughed and shook his head.

"Man, look who finally got some ass!" The Side, Mister, said. Mister leaned across the bar and asked with a raised eyebrow, "So, who's in there with you?"  
Daniel leaned forward and said, "His name is Patton. And he's a _Moral Compass_. So do what we do best, _Misdirection_ , and lie to the pretty face."  
Mister snorted, "Who said your face was pretty?"

"C'mon, what's it worth?" Daniel heard himself say. Then, one of his right hands held up a shiny watch, "Maybe Addiction's watch?"

Mister reached for the watch, growling, "She'll never stop bitchin' if you take that again."

His hand jerked up, and he said, "Do we have a deal?"

"Fine, deal." They shook hands and he dropped the watch into awaiting hands. Mister inspected the watch, then slipped it into his apron. Then, he asked, "Alright, then, what's the name now?"

Another headache wracked through Daniel's mind as he blinked into reality again. He said, "Daniel. I'm Daniel Fusion."

"Well, Daniel. I'll need to see your Sides' IDs." Mister said.  
" _Dude!_ " Daniel heard himself hiss, even as he looked for the IDs in his pockets. He pulled each pocket open, and could only find Patton's wallet. _Destiny_ had left his wallet in the car, in Patton's drive way. Daniel looked back up at the bar tender and said, "It's alright, I can just have water."

"Alright, but I'm watching you." Mister said as he walked off to fetch a glass of water.

Daniel frowned at his retreating back. Resting his chin on a hand, he mumbled, "Watching me do what?"  
He then glanced down at his second pair of hands and found another watch. He didn't know where he got it from. Maybe the pushy side from earlier? Or while they were walking through? It wasn't Addictions watch and that almost felt worse.

"When did we get this?" Daniel mumbled to himself; his voice so quiet no one else could hear. " _Where_ did we get this?"

"Don't worry, it was just in my suit pocket." Daniel responded, putting on the watch with three hands.

Daniel felt his shoulders relax slightly, allowing himself to believe it. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Daniel glanced up in time to see Mister bring him back the water.

Mister watched as Daniel took a sip of the drink. He didn't walk away, instead he said, "Please tell me whoever you got in there is at least 18."

While one of his hands reached for Patton's wallet, another gripped his glass tighter. Daniel said, "Your Sides are always the same age as you, everyone knows that."

"Uh-huh." Mister said, apparently amused by the answer. He was quiet for a second, then, he shook his head again and said, "I just can't believe he found a son of a bitch dumb enough to agree to fusing with him."

Rage turned his vision red, in one swift move, Daniel had grabbed Mister by his shirt, pulled him closer - _BAM! BAM!_ \- two quick punches to the face. He slammed Mister's nose down into the bar as he jumped up and sprinted through the crowd.

Addiction cackled as he dashed out the door. The last thing he heard was Mister shouting, "Never come back, you little snake!"

He ran and he kept running until he lost himself in the rhythmic pounding of his footsteps. All he could think in his head was, ' _Oh my god, oh my god_!'

Finally, when he couldn't run any longer, he stumbled to a halt. His lungs were expanding, compressing, expanding- so quickly he wasn't even sure he was breathing.

There was screaming; something was screaming inside his head. His Sides were at war, each arguing too loudly to be heard. And all Daniel could do was try to drown out the voices with his own quiet mantra.

"It's fine, it's fine, it's fine!"

 _What was that!?_

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine!"

 _We_ hit _someone!_

"We're okay, _this is fun_ , _this is_ -" Daniel gasped before he could finish his sentence, his headache grew too strong to ignore. He gripped his head like he was holding himself together, his nails digging into his scalp and skin. Frustrated, he shouted, " _FINE!_ "

He felt nails rip at his cheek, even as his two Sides were thrown apart from one another. And then, he was no more.

* * *

Patton was, just, so many different kinds of frustrated. He paced back and forth on the sidewalk, furious and hurt. He held his hands close to his chest, like he was protecting his wounded heart, even as he whipped around to give _Deceit_ the LIAR a stern talking to.

" _How could you!?"_ Patton shouted, tears blurring his vision.

Deceit was curled up on himself, his hands holding his face. He lifted his face and Patton immediately drew back. During their fission, Patton had- Deceit's face was bleeding.

Patton frantically realized that Daniel had taken them back to Patton's neighborhood before fission had set off. Patton gestured towards his home and said to the ground, "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get you cleaned up."

Deceit took a step back, wary and inherently suspicious. He examined what he could see of Patton's expression, then reached up and felt the sticky blood dripping down his cheek. Regrettably, he had to agree. "His" car was parked at Patton's place.

They walked in dead silence. Deceit expected more of a fight; he was preparing his rebuttals as they walked. And yet Patton never said more than a quiet, "Watch your step.", upon helping Deceit into his apartment. Patton led him to the bathroom, sat him on the toilet and pulled out the first aid.

He made sure to _really_ rub in the alcohol to make sure the cute was clean. Deceit hissed and tried to push him away. Huffing, Patton finished patching up Deceit's wound with the biggest band-aid he had.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked, his voice soft.

Deceit gently touched the band-aid, blinked his eye a few times, winced, but nodded. He said, "Yes. It _barely_ hurt."

"Great." Patton said, his tone flattening, his expression dark. "Get out."

"What?" Deceit asked, frowning at Patton.

"Out!" Patton pulled Deceit up to a standing position, then pushed until the other Side was backing out of the room. Patton couldn't stop himself from crying, "I don't want to be with you anymore! You're _mean_!"

"Wha- not to you!" Deceit said, genuinely confused. He tried to remember if he had, directly, insulted Patton in any way recently. He reached for him, saying, "Patton, honey-"

"Noooo!" Patton swiftly moved out of Deceit's grasp, shaking his head. He moved into the livingroom, Deceit following behind him. "I don't care that we're Sides, I don't want to fuse with you anymore."

Deceit tried to get Patton to look at him, but the other wouldn't. "What do you mean? We were great! We had so many hands and-"

"And I only ever saw half the picture!" Patton interrupted, "And we stole! And we lied! And we were completely in Denial!"

Quietly, bitterly, Deceit muttered, "Well, I liked Denial."

"Get out." Patton repeated, pointing towards the door. He grabbed his phone and threatened, "I'm calling Expression, if you're not gone by the time they get here-"

"Patton, please, rethink this. I don't want to fight you." Deceit tried to smoothly take the phone from his grasp, but Patton refused. Deceit relented, knowing when to admit defeat. He would rather retreat with half a chance than make things worse. He stepped away from Morality, giving the other Side a chance to breathe.

Then he said, "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"I don't want to talk about it." Patton hissed, frantically thumbing through his phone to find Expression's number. "I-I can't trust you anymore."

"He had _insulted_ us!" Deceit said, self-righteous anger growing within him, "He called you-"

"Big boys solve problems with their words, not their hands!" Patton angrily recited to him. Deceit didn't know if he was supposed to laugh or not, but he did anyway. Patton glared at him, his phone pressed to his ear. " _Never come back_."

Deceit sighed and left, being reasonable enough to not slam the door, although he slammed his own car door. Patton still heard that through the window, he watched until Deceit drove off in his dumb ol' car.

"Ugh, … 'ello?" Expression's exhausted voice said in his ear.

Patton didn't know what to say. Where did he start? How could he begin to explain everything he had just been through? He couldn't. Instead, he just started crying.

"Patton?!" Expression said, suddenly sounding far more awake. He could hear them scrambling to get up. "Are you home? Are you hurt?"  
Patton took a second to breathe enough to clearly say, "Home. Fused. You were right."

"I'll be right there." Expression said.

"Drive safe." Patton whispered before he heard Expression sigh in confirmation and hang up. He sat in silence, just below the window, in the dark. Even knowing that friendship and support was on the way, Patton couldn't help but crumble into another round of sobs. Coldly, he wondered if he had just ruined his only chance with happily ever after.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	14. Creativity

Roman was already tipsy when he got the message that Logic was on his way to the party. He almost drops his phone when he reads it.

"Holy shit." Roman said, "He's actually coming."

Kai snorted and shook his head, munching on another chip. He usually wasn't one for parties, but he agreed to be the designated driver tonight in exchange for Roman to do all the chores for two weeks. He didn't say anything in response to Roman, but he was clearly invested in the situation; watching with curious eyes.

"That's great, hombre." Monica said, slinging two of her arms around Roman's shoulder to look at the text.

Roman was fully expecting the nerdy Side to not arrive, claiming that parties kill brain cells or something. But less than five minutes later he got another message that Logic was outside the frat house.

"He's here!" Roman said, throwing back the rest of his drink. He swallowed and rushed out of the room, towards the front door. He had to push through a crowd of dancing people, but he reached the door just in time to see it being slowly opened by a Side with dark glasses.

Hesitantly, Logic poked his head into the house before stepping full inside. Roman watched as he glanced around and pulled out his phone again. Before he could start typing, Roman approached him, giving a small wave.

"Hey," he said over the music. Logic glanced up at him and relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Greetings." Logic said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. His jeans were right, he wasn't wearing tight jeans when they first met. Is he staring at his jeans for too long? He should probably look away now. Logic added, "I'm here."

"I'm queer, and there's beer near." Roman said, grabbing Logic by the hand and pulling him away from the door. "Let's get you a drink."

Logic didn't object to a drink. Or if he did, Roman couldn't hear it over the noise of the party. He tried to not think about how warm Logic's hand is, nor how easy it was to grab it. He weaves them through the dance floor, swiftly stepping around people. He glanced back at Logic, and smiled when he caught his eye.

Roman doesn't know why, but his heart pounded in delight at the sight of the Side. He forced his elation to settle once they entered the kitchen. His friends were waiting where he left them. Pop grinned and stared pointedly at their joined hands. When Roman waved her off, she just laughed and tossed some of her dark hair over her shoulder.

Roman quickly poured them two cups of jungle juice and handed one to Logic. The Side sniffed it curiously before taking a small sip. Roman took a quick gulp of his own before he took Logic by the elbow and directed the Side to his friend's.

"You've already met Pop." Roman said, gesturing to the fusion.

Logic held out a hand and clarified, "I had met her Sides. Nice to officially meet you, Pop Culture."

"And you as well, Señor Logic." Pop said, shaking his head.

"This is my roommate, Kai Side." Roman gestured to his friend. He didn't provide Kai's Side name without permission, so Logic would be left in the dark about that. He didn't seem to mind, shaking Kai's hand as well. Hushed, Roman whispered in his ear, "Kai uses he/him pronouns."

Logic smiled smoothly, showing no trace of confusion or bigotry as he let go of Kai's hand and introduced himself. "My name is Logic Side. Roman is helping me reach Establishment."

"Is he now?" Pop grinned, taking a sip of one of her drinks. Fusions, being far larger than most people, need multiple drinks to get even slightly buzzed. Because of this, Pop could always be seen carrying at least three drinks at all times during parties.

"Yes, I am." Roman said, ignoring Pop's teasing smile. "If he can prove he's a good match for Slap Happy, then yeah. I'll introduce them."

Kai told Logic, "If you get drunk and want to escape from that one" He pointed to Roman, "Come get me, and I'll drive you home."

"Thank you, I appreciate the offer." Logic told the Side. Roman was going to say something about how Logic wouldn't need any rescuing, (he's a prince, princes _do_ the rescuing!), but a new song came one in the livingroom.

Pop Culture gasped in excitement and unfused. In her place was Harry and Theo. Harry was left holding two of their three drinks. Theo set hers down my Kai and grabbed her Side's arm,"I love this song!"

Harry sighed and set her drinks down to be guarded by Kai and allowed herself to be dragged off, "Yay, more dancing."

Roman smiled at their antics and took another drink from his cup. His heart was vibrating in his chest, warming his body from the inside out. With a small flush, he asked Logic, "Do you want to dance?"

"With you? I'm trying to." Logic said.

Roman felt his face burn and he glanced away before looking back to see a small, knowing smirk on Logic's face. Forcing his blush away, Roman took Logic's hand again and led him to the dancefloor. Over his shoulder, he told the Side, "Haha, funny. Sides and dancing. Too bad nothing will come from this."

Logic raised an eyebrow as they found a spot together near the edge of the dance floor. It was darker in this room, the lights had been shut off in favor of some colored lasers and a disco ball. He couldn't see Harry and Theo, but he thinks he prefers it that way. The girls would probably just embarrass him or get the wrong idea.

When Roman started dancing to the music, Logic didn't join in. Instead, he watched Roman dance with a thoughtful expression.

Roman stepped closer and said loud enough to be heard, "You're supposed to dance."

"I don't dance." Logic respond.

Roman grinned, unable to help himself, "I know you can!"

Logic didn't seem to know the reference, as he responded with, "A fair technicality. Allow me to rephrase, dancing is not my field of expertise and-"

"Blah blah blah, no one cares if it's good." Roman said, grabbing Logic by the hand and pulling them flush together. He placed a hand on Logic's hip and guided him into a simple rocking motion, following the beat side to side. Roman leaned forward, and told Logic, "Just feel the music!"

Logic had stopped talking, his mouth hanging open slightly. Roman wasn't completely sure, but it almost looked like the Side was blushing.

Roman, spurred on by the alcohol running through him, let out a laugh and wrapped an arm around Logic's back. He didn't let them move away from each other until the song switched to the next, then the next, and the next after that. He kept them close together; swaying, sliding, grinding, and side-stepping their way through the playlist.

As one song was ending, Roman swung Logic into a low dip, one that he had done millions of times with Pop Culture during rehearsal. But when he looked down at Logic's wide eyes and his parted lips, Roman felt something in his chest break loose. His mouth was suddenly dryer than a desert, and he couldn't help but lick his lips. Logic's gaze darted down to watch the movement.

That Something that had broken free was now growing, spreading throughout his entire body. He could feel it, a pleasurable burn, that washed through him at an alarming rate. It sped through his veins and congregated in his hands and arm, where he was touching Logic.

Roman sucked in a sharp breath as he felt himself fading into something else. Someone else.

Without thinking, Roman dropped Logic.

He was panicking too much to immediately realize what he'd done. But once he noticed, Roman quickly apologized and helped Logic up.

Once the other Side was standing and confirmed he wasn't hurt badly, Roman stepped away from him.

 _Okay now Princey_ , Roman thought to himself, _we can do this. It's just a Side. A random Side._

Awkwardly, Roman mumbled something about needing a drink and he tugged Logic back to the kitchen.

Kai glanced up when they entered. His gaze flicked from Roman's expression to Logic's, before a small frown settled on his face. He asked, "Everything alright?"

"Fine!" Roman said quickly, shooting him a too-wide grin. He forced his mouth to relax, knowing that he could do better as an actor. With a pained expression, he said, "I dropped Logic."

"You ok?" Kai checked. Logic nodded and then a grin broke out across Kai's face as he teased Roman, "Ha, loser. Imagine if Perfectionist saw that."

Roman groaned as he grabbed a small tower of tiny red plastic shot cups. From the liquor table, he swiped a half-full bottle of vodka. He shook his head while he said, "He wouldn't even yell; he'd just straight-up murder me."

Kai laughed at that and picked up his phone, "I'm telling Pop."

"Have fun with that. We've got some booze to peruse." Roman said, leading Logic back through the dance floor. He quickly ducked around a corner and found a mostly-empty hallway. Third door on the left was an open room with no one inside. There was a couch with a coffee table and a TV; although it clearly was smaller than the livingroom.

Roman sat down on the couch and set the drink and cups on the coffee table. Slowly, Logic sat next to him, a respectable distance away. He asked, "What are we doing now?"  
It wasn't as loud in this room, the music was nothing more than a dull buzz from a few rooms over. So Logic was able to speak at a softer volume, and Roman could lean closer, to ensure he heard the Side correctly.

With a grin, Roman responded, "We're playing Twenty Questions."  
"Okay." Logic glanced at the shot glasses he was filling up. "What are the rules?"  
"We take turns asking questions." Roman said, "If you don't want to answer it, you take a shot. Keep going until one of us is wasted."

"I see." Logic adjusted his glasses and said, "You can go first, if you'd like."

Roman chewed on his tongue in thought, before he simply asked, "How old are you?"  
"I'm twenty-one." Logic said.

"Me too." Roman said without thinking. The confirmation made Logic's lips twitch upwards. Roman frowned at himself, tearing his gaze away from his lips. He shouldn't be staring at Sides like that. It's not princely.

"When was your Establishment ceremony?" Logic asked.

Without hesitation, Roman shrugged, "I don't remember."  
Logic squinted at him, pressing further, "How old were you?"  
"One question per round." Roman said, unable to stop himself from smiling at Logic's exasperation. Glancing away, Roman asked, "What's your sexuality?"  
"Excuse me?" Logic didn't seem offended, however he was watching Roman closely.

Roman held up a hand and gestured to the shots on the coffee table, "You don't have to answer. But I know your Sides preferences. It may match."  
He didn't break eye contact as he said, "I'm a homosexual."

Roman ducked his head to hide his smile. Why did learning that make his chest burst to life? At Logic's raised eyebrow, Roman said, "One of your sides is a gay man. The other is an ace woman."

"This doesn't count as my question: What are their names?" Logic asked.

"Yes, it does. Remy and Missy." Roman said, and before Logic could interrupt, he continued quickly, "How long have you been looking for your Sides?"  
"About four months." Logic answered, clearly annoyed with Roman's antics. He asked, "What were your Sides names?"  
"I forgot during Establishment." Roman said.

"You can't keep answering with 'I forgot' or 'I don't remember'." Logic frowned, "Those aren't answers. If you're going to respond that way, you need to take a drink."  
"But I _did_ forget!" Roman argued, "I don't know anything about my past Sides."  
"That's not possible." Logic said, picking up a shot and handing it to him, "Either give me a proper answer, or drink."

Roman took the shot from him, but didn't speak. Logic held his ground, staring him down with a challenging glare.

Slowly, Logic repeated, "What were your Sides names?"

With a huff, Roman grit his teeth and threw back the shot. The alcohol burned down his throat, making his eyes prick with tears. He groaned as he swallowed and set the glass down. He whipped his head around to glare at Logic and hiss, "What's your Established name?"  
"Logan." He said simply, setting his hands down in his lap. "When was the last time you fused?"  
Roman rolled his eyes and said, "At my Establishment ceremony."  
"Which was?"

Grumbling, Roman picked up Logic's shot and threw it back. He felt the alcohol rush through him like an unpleasant wave. He pointed a finger at Logic and asked, "How did you find me, _Logan_?"

Logic batted his hand away and said, "It was only coincidence we went to the same college. I was inspecting all of the artistic departments for possible Sides, before I found you in the theater department."

"Did you find any others?" Roman asked, his voice a little slurred. He didn't mean to ask that, but it had slipped past his lips.

"No." Logic was watching him. He felt like he was under a microscope. Roman realized he had been played. While he was already buzzed when Logic arrived, the Side was almost entirely sober. He had barely sipped any of the drinks Roman had given him. They were playing a verbal game of chess, and Roman was blindfolded, and also didn't know the names of the pieces.

A small smile spread across Logic's lips as he said, "I got distracted by an Established dancer."

"Who?" Roman asked. He felt his thoughts swim away from him, floating away in the alcohol he had consumed.

The smile grew wider, "You."

"Oh."

"How do you feel?" Logic asked, resting his head on his fist, using the back of the couch to prop up his arm. Roman traced his figure with his gaze; something of the sight made him want to take a photograph, or to grab a sketchbook and capture the moment. Logic wasn't even doing anything; simply lounging there, relaxed and observant. Roman wanted to reach forward and touch him, just to make sure he was still real.

"Drunk." Roman muttered quietly. He held his own hand in his lap, just to ensure he wouldn't reach for the Side. He frowned and asked, "Who's turn is it?"

Logic poured another shot and said, "I'll go. How did you meet my Sides?"  
"I found Remy on a dating app." Roman said, he took the shot in his hand. He stared at it and asked, "Who do you want to be, when you're Established?"  
Logic paused, thinking over the answer. He settled on, "Someone kind. Are you satisfied with who you are? As an … _Established_ person."  
Roman made a face and threw back the shot. He didn't mind it as much that time. He gets better at drinking the drunker he gets. He asked Logic, "How do you feel about fusion?"

"I've never done it." Logic said, "I would need to experience it first to gain a real opinion of it. However, it is the end goal in finding my Sides."

"Would you wanna do it all the time?" Roman asked, "Like a permafusion?"

Logic paused before answering. He finally said, "I don't know."  
"Oh! Oh! Drink!" Roman said, sloppily pouring a shot for Logic, "You can't answer that!"

Logic laughed, a delightful, private noise, that made Roman freeze in his movements. He looked up to see Logic's smile, a genuine one, that was joyful and not laced with suspicion. He handed Logic the shot glass, and waited a beat too long to pull his hand back.

Roman watched as he took the shot, his face contorted as the alcohol hit his tongue. Roman let out a soft laugh at the sight. Logic set down the glass and smoothed his shirt. He was clearly gathering his thoughts, but Roman didn't have any thoughts to gather.

Instead, he rested his head on the back of the couch and grinned at Logic from under his lashes. He said with the warmth and courage only alcohol could provide, "You're one'a the handsomest princes I've ever seen."  
Logic went still; his movements halted instantly and his eyes flew wide. A light, pink flush began to spread through his cheeks and Roman actually did reach out and touch it this time. Logic's skin was hot under his fingertips, as Roman gently rubbed his thumb in little circles on his cheek.

Behind Logic's shoulder, there was movement in the doorway. Roman didn't look away from the Side, even as he heard Kai's voice, "Ro? You in here?"  
"Roman." Logic swallowed thickly, then asked in a near-silent voice, "What were you diagnosed as?"

Drunkenly, stupidly, Roman answered without thinking, "Crea-"

"WHOA!" Kai was suddenly grabbing Logic by the arm and pulling him away from the couch. Roman shrugged and reached for his shot, as he didn't answer the question. He threw back the drink, distracted by the new rush of alcohol in his mind. He laughed as he set the glass down, and looked up to see Kai and Logic arguing.

That's not nice. He pushed himself to his feet and took both of the men by their hands. "Shh," he told them, swaying on his feet, "Shh, it's ok. No fighting."

"I'm taking him home." Kai said, his tone angry. He was looking at Logic, "How drunk are you? Do you need a ride?"

"I had one shot, and I walked." Logic said, holding up his free hand, "I'll be fine."  
"Great." Kai said, pulling Roman through the room. Roman whined when Logic's hand was pulled from his grip. He glanced behind them and saw Logic watching them leave. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and a contemplative look on his face.

Roman bent down to ask Kai, "Is the party over?"  
"Yes." Kai was able to lead him outside, to the front yard. He looked up at Roman and shook his head, "You're going to be so pissed when you're sober."

"Why?" Roman asked, looking up at the stars in the night sky. Kai was pushing him into a car, but he didn't to go in the car, he wanted to look at the stars. Finally, Kai was able to get his buckle on him and close the door. Roman still pressed his face against the cool glass. It was harder to see the stars now.

Kai was quiet for a long time, then he shook his head again and said, "Honestly, Ro. If this guy is Remy and Missy's, you're lucky. He's too smart and you're too reckless."

Roman rolled his head to look at Kai. He had no idea what he just said. Something about Remy and Missy. Roman sighed and rubbed his pockets, looking for his phone. "I like Remy."  
"I know, Roman." Kai said, not looking away from the road.

Roman found Remy's number in his phone. He started to type out a drunk love poem to the Side, but before he could finish, he got a text.

It was from Logic! Roman smiled and immediately forgot about the text to Remy. He spent a minute reading the text Logic sent. His mind was moving slower, which made it twice as hard to send love texts.

 _Logic: Drink water when you get home. Lunch sometime?_

Roman squinted in concentration as he punched in the text, letter by letter. He ended up writing ' _Lunch date acquired!'_ with some heart emojis.

"Hey, Roman, you owe me twenty bucks." Kai said, holding out his hand.

Roman reached for his wallet, sleepily finding some green paper. "Okay." He held it out, then asked, "Why?"  
"It's for all the bitching your gonna do in the morning when you realize you drunkenly told your little Side friend all your dirty little secrets. I'll have to listen to it, so I should get paid." Kai explained, snatching the money from him. He glanced at the bill, then told him, "This is a five."  
Roman had stopped listening. He was staring down at his phone, the screen lit up with a new text from Logic.

It said:

 _I wouldn't mind being a permafusion if it was with you, Creativity._

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	15. Deceit Side

Deceit slammed the door when he got back to his Uncle's house. He couldn't help it; all his frustration needed to escape somehow.

"Hey!" He heard from inside the kitchen.

"Shit." Deceit hissed, pulling his hat lower to try to cover his bandages. He heard as Uncle Frank approached, already lecturing him.

"Where in Sam's hell have you been, boy!?" Frank stopped in front of him and crossed his arms. He was an established man who never married or had kids. But when Deceit's parents had split, and neither wanted custody of their little liar, Frank stepped in. He wasn't a bad guardian. But there's a reason he never had kids.

"I was with my friends." Deceit said.

Frank pulled his hat away and scowled at his eye. "And did your 'friends' do that?"

Deceit glanced away and muttered, "Yes."

"Give me the keys." Frank held his hand out. Silently, Deceit gave them back. Frank sighed, "I'll give you another chance to tell me what happened."

Deceit glanced up at his Uncle and explained slowly, "There was a bar fight. My friend patched me up in the bathroom. I didn't start it."

Frank studied him, clearly trying to decide if he's lying or not. Finally, he sighed and said, "C'mon, there's dinner on the stove."

Deceit glanced at the time, "It's the middle of the night?"

"And you snuck off with my car and come back hours later a mess!" Frank turned on him, his voice rising. "You be thankful I made you some hangover cure and go to bed!"

"Yes sir." Deceit said under his breath. He made himself a plate of mashed potatoes, baked beans, and a burger. Frank gave him a dirty look when he reached for a beer. But screw it, he had a night, he deserved one.

They sat in silence for a long moment, eating. Deceit could hear the crickets outside. He wondered if Patton was still awake.

"Hey, Frank?"

"Hm?"

Deceit set down his burger. He frowned, "Did all your Sides like each other?"

"Hmm." Frank chewed slowly in thought. He swallowed and said, "Nah, two of 'em fuckin hated each other."

"So… what did they do? To become you?" Deceit asked.

Frank shrugged, "They figured it out. You know, got drunk, made a bet."

Deceit nodded thoughtfully, "I see…"

"Why you asking?" Frank didn't take another bite, choosing to watch him instead.

Deceit shrugged, looking away. He knew when to play the kicked puppy card, and he cranked it up as he said, "Just preparing for when my Sides decide they don't want me like Mom and Dad did."

"Jesus kid." Frank muttered, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. He quickly cleared his throat and said, "Well, that just don't happen. Sides need each other. Don't worry."

Frank quickly stood up and grabbed his plate. He gestured to his room, "It's getting late. I got work in the morning."

"Alright." Deceit said, sitting back in his seat. He pouted and looked down at his hands.

Frank sighed and said, "Hey, kid, I'm glad you're ok." Then before he turned down the hall, he added, "Don't touch my car."

Deceit waited until he heard Frank's door close. He sighed and stood up. He walked to the trash can and scraped his entire plate clean. Then he set the dish in the sink and silently snuck down to the basement.

The basement was just a large concrete square with a tiny bathroom in the corner. But with enough rugs, posters, and stolen trinkets, you can make any place a home.

Deceit flopped in the middle of his bed and sighed. He stared at the water stains on the ceiling next to the exposed pipe.

He turned to see his hermit crabs crawling in their enclosure. He climbed to their tank and quickly fed them. He watched their long legs slowly move across the fake rocks. He had two; a larger one named Sasha and a smaller one named Rose.

"Hello, girls." He sighed, gently reaching in to stroke one of their shells. "Can you help Daddy figure out what happened?"

The crabs clacked, making their way over to their food.

"Patton doesn't like me anymore." He told them sadly. Sasha tapped the rock below her in annoyance.

Deceit sighed, "I know. I did nothing wrong. So, Mister was being all 'yeah we're cool' and I believed him, my mistake. Then, he turns and is all 'actually you're a dumb pervert' and I decked him. Then Patton was running out of there, mad at _me_!"

Rose chewed on a leaf, staring blankly into the void.

"I feel the same." Deceit told her. He glanced from one to the other, "So, girls, what do we do?"

Sasha slowly climbed over Rose, trying to get more food. Deceit watched them teeter together, clacking wildly.

Deceit frowned at them, quietly deciding, "We should fuse again?"

There was a knock on the door at the top of the stairs. Deceit quickly said goodbye to his girls and bounded up the steps. He pulled the door open to see Frank. He was holding a paper.

"Sorry, er, I forgot to tell ya earlier. But I think I mighta found one'a your Sides." Frank rubbed his neck and held out the paper.

"What?" Deceit said quietly, looking down at the flyer. It was a colored print of the musical the local University was performing. It had a picture of the cast, and standing front and center, was Deceit. Frantically, he flipped the paper over and over, searching for a name. But none was given.

"I think he's the main character." Frank said, "I dunno, I don't wanna get your hopes up. He just kinda looks like you, is all. I say the ad down at the gas station this morning."

Deceit stared at the date, the musical was this weekend. He looked up at Frank, determined, "I have to go."

"You can buy tickets onli-"

"Thanks Frank!"

Deceit closed the door and ran back down the stairs. He grabbed his laptop and jumped on bed. As quickly as he could, he was pulling up the school's website. He found where to buy his tickets and quickly bought one for each night. He had to make sure. He wasn't going to have any repeat experiences. He wouldn't fuck it up this time.

"We have a chance, girls!" Deceit told the crabs. Sasha had fallen off of Rose, and was upside-down. Deceit carefully righted her before he returned to his screen.

After the purchases were confirmed, he searched the theater department's website until he found a page about the cast. His picture was the first to pop up.

Deceit sat back, suddenly out of breath as he read the little blurb next to the photo. He breathed, "Roman."

He turned to the crabs and grinned, "His name is Roman, girls."

Rose clacked, turning away from him.

"Oh, who cares about Patton. He's a thing of the past." Deceit said, waving his hand in dismissal. He ignored the sharp migraine and simultaneous twist in his chest as he said that. "We can circle back to him once we have this one."

Sasha dropped one leaf to grab a bigger one.

Deceit nodded, "That's right, we never would have worked with _Morality_ anyway."

Deceit looked down at the photo of the man in a prince costume. He touched the screen, his eyes traced over the photo. Roman Side.

He could work with that.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	16. Logan Side

Logic stepped back and examined the thought web Structure had helped him build on his wall. The two had met at his apartment this time, and had been working on this project all morning.

"How reliable is the confessions of a drunk man, _really_?" Structure asked.

"Alcohol does lower one's defenses." Logic shrugged, "And it's the most we've gotten so far."

Structure stared at the spot on the web they marked as 'The Dancefloor'. They pointed to it and asked, "Recount again, what happened here?"

"Roman and I partook in a dance together. At the end, he had dipped me, and for a brief moment, I believed I was experiencing the beginning tells of fusion." Logic said, slowly. He started pacing back and forth. He brushed his fingers together, feeling his skin. "It was a pleasant burn, not like a rash. And it was suddenly difficult to breathe."

"Difficult?" Structure interjected.

Logic reconsidered the word, then shook his head, "No, not 'difficult' per se. More like breathing was no longer a necessity. It, along with everything else, faded in the background."

Structure had a pen and a pad of sticky notes, ready to add to the wall at any point. They frowned, clearly trying to understand, "So, like a form of disassociation?"

"Yes, similar." Logic said, turning to fully face his friend, "But it was the _most desirable_ sensation." Getting distracted, Logic glanced down at his fingers again, "His hands were so warm."

Structure wrote a small note that said 'Fusion?' and put it under The Dancefloor. After a moment, they added a second note with his symptoms.

"Did he ever respond to your text?" Structure asked.

Logic pulled out his phone and sighed in disappointment. "No."

It's almost noon; he had plenty of time to text back. Perhaps Logic should send a new message, one unrelated to last night. But every time Logic tried to think of something to say, his mind always circled back to ' _We should fuse_.'

He was sure he knew how Roman would respond to _that_.

"Maybe he's just busy." Structure shrugged.

Before Logic could respond, the door to his apartment opened. He heard his roommate move throughout their space. Suddenly, he felt very foolish.

"Sandra!" He said in a gasp.

Structure sent him a look like he had grown a second head. They asked, "Who's Sandra?"

Logic didn't respond, reaching forward and plucking the sticky note that said 'Pop Culture' off the wall. He grabbed Structure's hand and pulled them into the front room, where Sandra was still settling.

She was looking through her backpack when they entered the room. She looked up at them and Logic heard Structure whisper "Holy shit."

"Greetings." Sandra said, glancing from Logic to Structure. "Who's this?"

"My friend, Structure and Planning Side." Logic said, stepping away from Structure and up to Sandra. "They're helping me find my Sides. And, I apologize for forgetting this, but I think we found two of yours."

"Oh?" Sandra raised an eyebrow, adjusting her glasses.

Logic turned to tell Structure, "This is Sandra Logic Side. She's my roommate."

"She looks _just like_ -"

"Harry and Theo. Yes, I know."

Sandra stood up straighter, she asked, "Those are their names?"

Logic gave her the sticky note, as he explained, "Yes, and they're a semi-permifusion. Her name is Monica. She's your Pop Culture fusion."

Sandra glanced between them and the sticky note, "You're positive?"

"We are 90% sure." Structure said, still staring at Sandra. They shook their head and muttered, "The expressions are _uncanny_."

"They are a performer in the University's show this weekend. Would you like to come?" Logic asked. He placed a hand on his chest and ducked his head slightly as he admitted, "I already bought a ticket for each showing."

Sandra thoughtfully played with one of her pigtails. She said with a small nod, "Agreed. I shall see the show to investigate this fusion."

"Sounds fun." Structure said, with a hint of mockery. "You two enjoy stalking strangers."

"We will." Logic said, watching Sandra nod, "That's the intent."

Structure rolled their eyes, but smiled nonetheless. Logic turned to Sandra to ensure he had her attention before he said to Structure, "I believe you _have salt_ that we are finding our Sides before you."

Sandra grinned and suppressed a small snort at that. Structure shook their head and groaned, effectively devastated by his ill burn.

"Shut the hell up." Structure sighed, then gestured for them to return to Logic's room. They said over their shoulder to Sandra, "It was pleasant meeting you. I hope Pop is your counterpart."

* * *

Later that night, Logic sat alone in his bed. After Structure left, Sandra helped him craft some new texts to send to Roman.

 _What time and location would you like our lunch date?_

 _Do you feel better?_

 _Are you excited for the show this weekend?_

 _I'll be there._

 _Will Remy and Missy come?_

He hadn't responded to any of them. Logic sighed at the screen, watching as more and more of his messages appear, with none from Roman.

A sharp pain spread through Logic's temple as his trait demanded to fuse. He gripped his head and tried to ignore the throbbing waves. He had migraines in the past, but none were as intense as this one. He struggled to breathe through clenched teeth as his body was wracked with muscle spasms.

Moments later, the pain ebbed away. Logic laid on his side, and focused on breathing for a minute. He needed to hurry this up. He didn't have the time to play games with Roman, his headaches were getting worse.

The moisture rolling down his cheeks concludes he had cried during his pain. Logic struggled to sit back up and find a bottle of water on his bedside table. He took a sip. Then another. With a shaky hand, he picked up his phone and wrote a message that he didn't need Sandra's help to make.

Letter by letter he typed it out before immediately sending it. He couldn't go back to being alone. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Roman's smile. It was infuriating. The man was intoxicating; he left Logic feeling itchy, like he needed something out of his reach. In the darkness, he curled close to himself and tried to imagine what it would be like to not be so alone in his bed.

 _I miss you_.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	17. Anxiety

"And after they fused, I panicked and ran out of there." Anxiety sighed, picking at his nails. His friends were giving him pitying looks, and he wanted to snap at them for it. He didn't, though. Instead, he grumbled, "Then you called."

"That's insane." Spunk mumbled, her gaze distant as she imagined his story. Elliot nodded, a small frown on their face.

They asked, "Do you think you'll message them? Or are you going to ignore them?"

Anxiety looked up at them, brushing his hair out of his face with another sigh. "I don't know! I should, right? I should go and talk to them and fuse, 'cuz they're my Sides."

"Right." Spunk agreed.

"But they _terrify_ me! And not, like, in the 'I'm-talking-to-an-attractive-person' way! More like the 'I'm-in-a-stranger's-house-and-I'm-thirsty' kind of way." He looked to Elliot, "Does that make sense?"

Elliot smirked, leaning back against the counter, "Yeah, I get ya."

"Well, what if you just spend a while texting them? So you don't have to be in person." Spunk suggested, "You have their numbers, right?"

"Yeah, one of 'em." Anxiety said, but the thought of being in a group chat with them only made his stomach turn. What would he even say? Would they find him interesting in the slightest? He doubted it. He wasn't much of a texter anyway. He frowned to himself, "Do you think they're mad that I ran away?"

"Nah." Elliot said, looking out the window, "Fusion is scary. They probably understand."

"Yeah;" Spunk agreed, tapping her pen on the counter. "Lots of people probably run away from their Fusions."

"Shut up." Anxiety grumbled, moving past them to go to the back room. He needed to stop thinking about this for just _one_ second.

As he opened the minifridge in the office, he heard Elliot say, "Customer, incoming."

"Booo." Spunk grumbled a moment before the door opened.

Anxiety pulled out a water bottle and opened it, taking a sip. He heard Elliot cuss behind him, and he turned around to see what the commotion was.

The customer that had walked in was short, with bright red hair that went to their shoulders, and brown eyes. When their eyes met Spunk's, they stopped in their tracks.

"Uh-" They said.

"Hi!" Spunk's excited voice rang out. She seemed more enthusiastic with this customer than any of their previous ones. "How can we help?"

Customer blinked, still shocked, then they said, "I want to make a tattoo appointment."  
Elliot snuck back into the back room as they talked, their eyes wild. Anxiety pointed to Customer and hissed, "Is that-?!"

"Yeah!" Elliot peeked out the doorway, shaking their head. "She has to be Spunk's they're _identical_."

Anxiety glanced at the Sides, noticing the similar shape of their eyes and smiles. The only difference was their hair; both dyed equally bright colors. He hoped they got along better than he did with his Sides.

"Could I have a name?" Spunk asked.

"Gender Expression Side." Customer said.

Spunk grinned, writing it down in the calender. As she wrote, she said, "That's a great name. I'm Spunk Taylor Side."

"Spunk?" Customer frowned, like they didn't believe her.

"Mm-hm." Spunk said, still writing things down.

Customer said, "What does _that_ mean?"

Spunk ripped off a piece of the paper she was writing on and held it out to Customer. She winked and said, "I can tell you all about it over lunch."

Anxiety couldn't see from his spot by the door, but he was pretty sure there was a phone number on that paper. Customer's cheeks grew dark when they took it.

Elliot let out a small whistle, "Damn, she's good."

"Pretty spunky." Anxiety agreed. They watched in silence as the customer awkwardly said goodbye and left immediately. Once the door closed behind them, Elliot and Anxiety wandered back to the counter. He asked, "So… Who's your new friend?"

"Oh my god, guys, did you see her?" Spunk said, holding her face in her hands.

"Yeah, we were right here." Anxiety grinned.

Elliot gave a small pout and said, "Are you gonna abandon me now that you found a Side?"

Spunk gasped, placing a hand on her chest, "I'd never!"

Anxiety moved to look at the calender - that now had a big hole in the bottom corner. There was a new appointment for this weekend. He smirked at the little hearts around the name 'Gender Expression Side'. "What was the tattoo of?"

"She said she wanted some cats. Three, I think; and it'll say 'I'm purrrfect.' She didn't tell me a location." Spunk said, smiling down at the name. "We should get a cat together."

Elliot shook their head sadly, "Aw, I'd love to, but I'm allergic."

"Not you, shut up." Spunk laughed, which made Elliot laugh with her.

Anxiety was still looking at the schedule; something about the hearts around Gender Expression's name made it hard to look away. He thought to himself silently.

Spunk was never afraid about anything. She could stare an on coming train down and not blink. She was the most intimidating person Anxiety knew. She was so cool.

"Should I be here for the appointment?" She asked, fiddling with the end of her shirt. "No, no, that's too desperate. Is it?"

"Nah, you work here. She wouldn't know if you had an actual shift or not." Elliot replied.

"I hope she calls. She gave her number for the appointment, am I allowed to use it-"

"No."

"Okay, well, what about her email?"

"No."

"You can't stop me from trying to find her online." Spunk snipped as she pulled out her phone. Elliot laughed and moved closer to her to see the screen as well.

Even she was clearly nervous about meeting her Sides. Maybe what Elliot said earlier was true. Missy and Remy won't be upset with him for running away; everyone gets scared by fusion just a little.

Maybe. _Maybe_ he can give it another try.

After his shift, he texted Missy to see if they were home. They were. He took a deep breath and started the drive to their place. Here goes everything.

Despite all of his anticipations, they weren't upset in the slightest when he arrived at their door. Remy opened it and let him in, offering a bright smile to him. Anxiety gave a quick, tiny one back before he took off his shoes.

Missy was in the livingroom, frantically fixing throw pillows. When she spotted Anxiety and Remy, she stopped and smiled at him. "You're here!"

"Yep."

She approached with her arms open for a hug, but upon seeing his expression, she took him by the hands instead. Her fingers were cold, and it made a shiver run down his spine. She squeezed his hands and said softly, "Thank you for coming back."

"Yeah, uh, I'm sorry about yesterday." He said, unable to reach her eyes.

She tapped his lips with a finger, effectively silencing him. "Don't worry about it; we understand. Slap can be a lot at first."

"Right." Anxiety sighed, as the two sat down on the couch. He stayed standing, watching them. On the ride here, he was trapped in a storm of thoughts. Most of his mind had decided that if they were going to be Sides, they should be Sides. No beating around the bush; no slow burn; no easing into anything. He's jumping head-first into the deep end: no looking back, take a deep breath, and _go_. "I want to fuse."

"With- with us?" Remy asked, pointing a finger to himself.

His throat was too tight to talk, so he nodded instead. He could feel the blood rushing in his ears and he wanted to take back what he just said, but he couldn't. Ripped the bandage clean off, and now the glue isn't sticky anymore.

"Miss, you first." Remy nudged the Side. She was staring at Anxiety, her mouth agape. She closed it and glanced at Remy, before nodding. Slowly, she stood up and moved to stand next to Anxiety.

She held out a hand, "May I have this dance?"

"I don't know how to dance." Anxiety said as he took her hand. She placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer until their bodies were pressed together.

"Don't worry, me neither." She said, as she slowly started to spin them in a circle. Anxiety got the message and moved with her, moving in sync with her. They were just spinning in little circles, and it made him feel like he was at a middle school dance during a slow song. He didn't know where to look, (Missy's face was too close, too intimidating) and he ended up watching Remy watch them.

After a minute of silent dancing, Anxiety glanced down at Missy uncertainly, "Um, how long does it usually take?"

"Hmm…" She frowned to herself, and Anxiety felt her grip on him tighten. She pressed herself even closer to him and picked up the pace. That only managed to make it harder for him to keep up. After four quick turns, his foot got caught behind his ankle and he tripped; forcing Missy to catch him.

They didn't fall, but it felt like they did, all things considered. He was staring into her eyes, and he could see the frustration and disappointment she couldn't hide. He felt a pang in his chest, as he suddenly felt very heavy. He let go of her and stepped back.

She wouldn't look at him, her head ducked. Her voice was hollow when she said, "Remy."

"Yeah." He said, already standing up. He gently guided her to the couch and then turned to Anxiety. Damn it. He held out his hand and said, "Ready for round two?"

He glanced at Missy, she was staring down at her feet. With a small nod, he took Remy's hand. Remy didn't start slow like Missy did. He immediately pulled them close and started twirling around the room.

Anxiety tried his best to not trip again. It felt hard to breathe when he was this close to Remy. The other Side watched his expression the entire time, grinning as they moved together. When he finally slowed down enough for Anxiety to breathe, he watched as that pleased grin slowly fell from his face. Anxiety let go of his hands.

"Um-"

"Let Slap try." Remy interrupted him, reaching for Missy. She stood and grabbed his hand. As soon as their fingers brushed, the two disappeared, fusing into one big person.

Slap grabbed Anxiety and pulled him into the tightest bear hug he's ever experienced.

His muffled voice came from within Slap's chest, "Guys, I can't breathe."

"No no no no no!" Slap said, letting go of him. He sucked in a deep breath, backing away from them. Slap unfused with a cry.

Missy started pacing, tears rolling down her cheeks. Anxiety could hear the uneven sobs she was trying to stifle. As he watched her emotions swell, he felt his own rise in his chest.

This was his fault.

"Why does this keep happening?!" Missy asked, her voice frustrated. She clutched her hair in tight fists, her face twisting into a pained sneer.

"This is my fault." Anxiety said, more to himself than to them. His knees were shaking and he could feel the blood rush through his veins. "I did this."

"Is it us?" Missy grabbed Remy by the hand, looking at him for guidance. "Are we doing something wrong?"

"No, princess, we'll find our other Sides-" Remy said in a soft tone.

Missy shook her head and hid her face in Remy's chest, "This can't be happening. Not again, please. _Please_." Her words were a quiet whisper that got cut off as her crying worsened.

"I fucked up." Anxiety muttered hollowly. He turned on his heel and walked to the door as quickly as he could.

"Hey, hey," Remy called. Someone grabbed him by the arm and he yanked himself away. He turned, and they were staring at each other. Remy's eyes were wet, but his voice was even as he said, "It's okay, it's not your fault."

"I have to go." Anxiety said, backing up.

"We might be able to connect you with your actual Side." Remy said, his eyes searching his face. Anxiety shook his head, trying to avoid eye contact. "We know a guy."

"No, no." He grunted, reaching for the door. The voices in his head were screaming at max volume; all of them, at once, which resulted in nothing more than a piercing headache for Anxiety. His heart was pounding in his ears and he could feel the walls moving closer and closer. Soon they would crush them all. He had to get out, he needed fresh air. He couldn't look at them anymore. "This was a mistake."

He ignored the hurt in Remy's eyes as he disappeared behind the door, slamming it shut behind him. He ran to his car and sped the entire way home.

Once home, he pulled his blankets over his head and tried to even his breathing out. In the dark, wooly cave he made, far from anyone else, Anxiety allowed himself to break apart.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	18. Patton Side

"And their name is Spunk! _Spunk_! What kind of Side trait is that!?" Gender Expression said as they tapped their steering wheel. They were headed to the long awaited tattoo appointment. Patton wasn't sure how his friend wanted him to respond. They looked upset to be meeting their Side. And, after being with Deceit, Patton was starting to understand why.

He looked out the window and thought about his day; about the kiddos he loved to take care of, until he felt better. Then he said, "I think it's like 'funky'?"

"That's not better." Expression huffed. They stopped at a red light and glanced at Patton. "What if they're working?"

"You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to." Patton said with a reassuring smile, "And I'll be there the entire time."

"Right, right. It'll be fine. This is fine." Expression said, turning when the light changed.

"You're imagining that dog with the fire, aren't you?" Patton asked. He giggled when they nodded.

A moment later, they were pulling into the parlor's small parking lot. Patton took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. He was going to forget all about his horrible experience earlier this week. Tonight was about Expression, kittens, and permanent ink.

Expression entered first and immediately looked back at Patton with a pained expression. Patton hid his amusement as he peaked over their shoulder to see a Side that had to be Spunk behind the counter.

"Hi! Welcome back!" Spunk said, waving at them.

Patton returned with a wave of his own, grinning, "Hello! We have an appointment!"

"Yes, of cour-" Spunk didn't finish the word, as they suddenly started coughing when they looked at Patton. A moment later an a Side wearing a black beanie and more piercings than Patton could count, came rushing out to help Spunk. They patted their shoulder, and handed them a water bottle.

Expression and Patton shared concerned, confused glances. The new Side glanced at Patton and started laughing. They led Spunk to the back room and said, "Verge, your appointment is here."

Before the tattoo artist stepped out, Patton heard the Side from earlier say, "good luck".

Patton's hesitant smile dropped the second he saw his face. Involuntarily, he took a step back. He felt his mouth go dry and his heart started sprinting a marathon. Expression took his hand, and their firm grasp grounded him enough to realise that _whoever_ this Side was, he wasn't Deceit.

His hair was purple, while Deciet's was blond, and both his eyes were the same color. Still, their faces were identical. Patton didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure if he was ready to meet another Side yet. He had only just gotten his heart broken, he needed time to heal before he got back on the saddle, right?

But looking at this other Side, there was something within him that was very, _very_ happy. This was the second chance he needed.

Expression stepped forward and held out their phone, showing him a photo of their cat. "I was thinking of one of the kittens looking like this, is that alright?"

The Side looked away from him, inspecting the photo.

"Yeah." He said, hushed and out of breath, "Yeah, I can do that. One moment."

He disappeared to draw the tattoo and they sat down in the waiting area. Spunk didn't return from the back room, and Expression was watching the door like a hawk.

"This is weird." They said, gripping their knees.

Patton nodded, looking at all the drawings and designs on the wall. Some of them were really detailed, others were kind of scary. Patton didn't know if he would ever want a tattoo. He didn't think so. But that Side, _his_ Side, had some on his arms. What did that mean for him? Was Patton not who he thought he was? Who would he be when he was Established? If he ever got that far. He'd have to fuse with _Deceit_ for that to happen, and Patton would never _ever_ let that happen again.

He sighed, holding his head in his hands. He made himself sad.

"Doing okay?" Expression nudged him and whispered. "You can leave if you want."

"No, it's okay." Patton gave them his biggest smile, and a thumbs-up to boot. "I'm just thinking about the kitties!"

Expression frowned slightly, but shrugged and agreed, "Alright."

Spunk came out a while later and asked Expression, "I was wondering, what's your Established name?"

"You can call me Gender Expression." They responded, with a tone that Patton would frown upon.

Spunk paused for a second, then rested their arms on the counter and said, "Okay, then, Gender Expression. May I ask what yours is?"

Expression hesitated, "I use they/them pronouns."

Spunk smiled, "So does my partner. I use she/her."

"Of course you do." Expression grumbled, too quiet for Spunk to hear from across the room.

"Huh?"

The artist arrived then, bringing his sketch with him. "Okay, how's this look?"

Expression stood up and crossed the room to inspect his work. They talked a little bit before agreeing on the design. Expression turned to Patton and said, "Ready for the magic?"

"Yeah!" Patton jumped up, momentarily forgetting his thoughts. He was going to watch his first tattoo session! He couldn't help but be excited. Expression and him followed the artist to the back area.

Expression took off their jacket and laid down on the table. They were going to get it on their back. They hiked their shirt up enough for the space needed. The artist worked silently, placing the tracing ink quickly. Patton confirmed that it looked good and sat still as they got to work.

Expression winced when the needle first touched them, but quickly got used to the feeling. The three sat in silence, except for the buzzing of the needle. Patton swallowed nervously, glancing up to look at the artist's face.

He was concentrating on Expression's back, his eyebrows pinched slightly. His skin looked soft. Patton ducked his head to frown down at his shoes. Deceit's skin was soft, too, and he was a meanie liar McLiarson.

Patton closed his eyes, forcing a slow breath out his nose. It wasn't fair of him to judge this stranger for something Deceit did. He should give the Side a fair chance, it was only morally right.

But he couldn't say anything _now._ Not while he's trying to focus and Expression is in pain. He sat ridgedly, hoping no one else could tell how scared he was. What if all of his Sides are bad meanies?

He was judging again, assuming that the Side was a bad meanie because he had tattoos. Maybe he shouldn't say anything. Clearly he wasn't ready, if he was still this upset about Deceit. Maybe this Side didn't even want to be with him, it would be rude to bother him with something as silly as fusion.

Maybe Patton was going to be alone forever after all.

"Done." The Side said, turning off the needle. Expression looked over their shoulder, but waited until the artist cleaned them off before moving. Once the tattoo was clean, they stood up and looked in the mirror. Three little kittens, one looking like Expression's current kitty, were in a cuddle pile above their hip. In cursive writing, the phrase "I am purrrfect" looped over the image.

Expression turned so he could see and said, "Whatcha think, Pat?"

"It's purrrfect!" He cheered, surprised by how much he liked it.

"Hell yeah." Expression grinned and they let the artist cover the tattoo in a warp. He explained the cleaning and healing process, never once looking at Patton while he talked.

Afterwards, he led them out to the front to pay. Expression gave him their card and determinedly ignored Spunk's stare.

Patton was quiet, watching his Side move about. He didn't look like he wanted to talk. Maybe it was better for everyone if Patton left.

Expression finished paying and walked out with nothing more than an awkward wave to Spunk. Patton mumbled "Thank you." under his breath as he followed them out. They stopped outside the door and turned to him.

"Do you wanna talk to him?" Expression asked. "I can wait."

"Gosh," Patton rubbed his arm nervously, "should I?"

"If you want." Expression gestured to their car, "I don't want to give Spunk any ideas, but if you think that guy would treat you better than He Who Shall Not Be Named; go for it. I'll wait in the car."

Patton glanced down at his hands, "He did draw really good kittens."

Expression started walking to their car. "Take your time!"

Patton took a deep breath, then another. In the end, he decided to trust his heart. In his heart, he believed his Sides were good.

He turned around and opened the door. The bell above the door jingled as he stepped in, and he saw that his Side was already standing alone behind the counter.

Patton approached, his heart in his throat. He felt his hands shake as he said, "Hi."

The Side swallowed, then said, "Can I help you?"

"I think we're Sides." Patton said, slowly stopping to stand in front of the counter. Only the tablespace separated them. He held onto the edge, his knuckles white. "My name's Patton."

"I…" The Side glanced away, chewing his lip. "...don't think this is a good idea."

"Me neither." Patton admitted. He covered his mouth with his hand, startled by his own words. The other Side's eyebrows twitched downward at that, and Patton quickly continued, "Because of my own things; not because of you! You seem lovely!"

"I'm really not." The Side said, although his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Hey now, none of that!" Patton felt the tension ease from his spine. He pulled out his phone and opened the contacts app. He held it out to the Side, "If it's alright by you, I think I want to know you."

The Side didn't move at first, staring at him with wide eyes. Finally, he took the phone and typed in his name and number before handing it back. Patton glanced down at the name before pushing "save contact".

 _V. A. Side_

Patton frowned, a nervousness tugging on his chest. He asked, "Um, what's your Side name?"

"Do you have to know _now_?" He asked, an edge of annoyance in his voice.

Patton swayed on his feet, thinking it over. He didn't want to be a hassle, but Deceit had refused to tell him his Side name, too. He didn't know if he was being paranoid or not, but if felt like a red flag.

Still, it was the first time they were meeting, and he knew from the kiddos he watched that a Side trait can be very personal…

"I guess not." Patton finally relented, stepping back from the counter. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a bother. It's just important for me to know."

"Yeah, if we're Sides." He said, he crossed his arms and added, "We could just look similar."

Patton nodded, a small, confused smile on his face, "Well, sure. But that doesn't actually happen."

The Side with lots of piercings came out then, pointing to something in the back, "Hey, do you mind cleaning your workspace _right now_ , please?"

"Yeah, of course, Elliot." The tattoo artist looked back to him, "Anything else?"

Patton glanced down at his phone, then lower to his feet. Maybe he really was just a nuisance. His voice was quiet as he said, "No, thank you."

He caught a guilty expression on the Side's face, but he ignored it. He didn't know what he did wrong, but he wanted to go home and cuddle with his favorite teddy bear.

"Patton." The Side said.

Patton looked up at him, halfway to the door.

"You can message me." The Side looked away and added, "one way or another, I can help you find your Sides."

"Thank you." Patton said, leaving before anything else could happen.

Expression was waiting in the car, as promised. They raised an eyebrow at him when he settled in the passenger seat. "So?"

"I don't know if he's scary or not yet." Patton said, putting on his buckle.

Expression sighed and showed him their phone, "Yeah, me neither."

Patton read the messages, they were between them and Spunk. She had invited them out for a date, and Expression hadn't responded yet.

"That's the second time she's mentioned going out." Expression said. "I don't know if I like it. It's weird to be wanted."

Patton thought about Deceit, who he thought wanted him; and the tattoo artist, who didn't seem like he did. He wasn't sure which he preferred. They both felt weird to him.

What was he doing wrong?

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	19. Creativity Side

Roman tossed his phone to Kai as it started vibrating. He didn't have time for this. Where's his eyeliner?! "It's ringing! It's ringing!"

"It's Logic." Kai reported, "You have _tons_ of texts from him."

"Yeah, he's been blowing up my phone all week." Roman muttered as he dug through his make up bag. Kai scooted closer to him as another actor ran past them, screaming about a missing prop. Roman groaned, trying to focus on finding his eyeliner. Kai started reading the messages out loud, which wasn't helpful.

" _I look forward to seeing your performance today_." He read.

Roman _finally_ found the eyeliner, and turned to look at himself in the mirror. He uncapped the make-up and said, "I can't believe he's coming every night."

"That's what she said." Kai muttered, reading the next message, " _I apologise for causing you discomfort_."

"I didn't tell him it was Hell Week," Roman said as he traced his eye slowly. "I've been ignoring everyone, it's just show biz."

"That's a weird way to say _'I haven't slept all week'."_ Kai teased him.

Roman snatched his phone back, barely glancing at the screen. There were too many messages for him to think about right now. He needed to get in the zone.

He turned his phone off, sighing when Logic's name disappeared from the screen. He refocused on his reflection. He was playing a prince in this show, and he was almost finished with his costume. He just needed his sash and crown.

"Has anyone seen my crown?" He asked the changing room. They were typically good with keeping their changing rooms clean and tidy, but last night Disorganized had "helped"putting things away and no one wanted to bring it to Perfectionist's attention yet.

"I got it!" Someone called from the back. Kai hopped off his stool to retrieve it for him. When he returned, Roman grabbed some Bobby pins and sat down.

Kai helped him attach the crown enough to his head so it wouldn't fall off during his dance breaks. Roman looked at his roommate's reflection in the mirror.

"Will you keep Logic away from Remy and Missy?" He asked. "They shouldn't be here until Sunday, but if this guy is really going to be here every night…"

"Say no more." Kai said, letting go of the crown with a small flourish of his hand. "I'll keep him out of your hair. You just focus on your lines."

"You're the best knight a prince could ask for!" Roman said, beaming in with pre-show jitters.

"Curtains in 10 boys!" A stage manager shouted from the door.

Roman turned to Kai, "You should get out of here, before Perfectionist sees you."

"Aye aye Captain!" He saluted him and said, "Break a leg, Princey!"

Roman took a deep breath and ran through the show in his mind. He imagined the characters' world; with a dash of Creativity, he could almost see the midevil village appear before his eyes. He was ready; it's showtime.

* * *

Curtains close, stand in a line, curtains open, bow, bow, applause, bow, curtains close again. As soon as Pop Culture let go of his hand, it was like Roman stepped out of a trance.

He held his head in his hands, feeling all the energy drain out of him. There's nothing more thrilling than an opening night performance; but now he was ready to crash into his bed and not get up for another week.

Roman followed Pop and the rest of the cast as they walked out into the hall. It was a tradition for them to talk to any audience members after the show. It gave friends and family a time to take pictures and gush about the show. In the hall, Roman saw that Kai was talking to Harry and Theo; Pop Culture had probably unfused in exhaustion. Theo was resting her head on her arms, using Kai's head as a pillow. Roman glanced away, looking at the crowd that was slowly coming out of the auditorium.

He frowned when he saw a familiar face, but his hair was the wrong color. Roman squinted, standing on his tiptoes to try to see through the crowd. It was impossible, whoever that person was, he's gone. Maybe Roman was just seeing things, but that person looked like Remy, but with a bad bleach job.

God, he was tired. If he was imaging doppelgangers in the distance, he definitely needed to go to sleep.

"Salutations."

Roman jumped, turning to see Logic standing beside him. He had been distracted, and didn't see him approach. He glanced at his friends, who hadn't noticed his delima. "Logic!"

"You never responded to my messages." The Side said.

"Uh-" Roman couldn't look at him; guilt started to build in his stomach. He snuck a glance at Logic's expression. It was hard to read; he wasn't smiling, and he looked away when Roman made eye contact. Awkwardly, Roman mumbled, "I've been busy with the show…"

Logic cleared his throat, then held out a bouquet of roses. He shoved them into Roman's chest, and said, "These are for you."

Roman felt his cheeks heat up as he took the flowers. His mouth was suddenly very dry and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. He looked from the flowers to Logic and eloquently said, "Uh…"

"I was told it is customary to provide flowers to actors after a performance." Logic explained, his eyebrows twitching down in confusion. "Were my sources incorrect?"

"No, you're right." Roman said, inspecting the roses in his hands. Looking at flowers was way easier than looking at Logic. Shit, he was too gay for this. He smiled at him and said, "Thank you."  
"Of course." Logic placed his hands behind his back and watched Roman expectantly.

Roman shuffled his feet and said, "So, uh, did you like the show?"

"I enjoyed watching you." Logic responded, adjusting his glasses, "The show was adequate."

"Thanks…?" Roman glanced at his friends, and saw that they went back into the auditorium to help reset the stage. He was completely alone. Roman wanted to get out of there; the longer he stood next to Logic, the more he remembered of the frat party. He got really drunk and Logic asked about his past. _Shit, shit, shit_. He took a small step back, "Well, thank you for coming to support the theater department. Um, I have to go-"

"Wait," Logic grabbed his wrist, his hand was warm and it made Roman's skin tingle. Now Roman could see hints of worry in Logic's expression. He said, "I-I would like to discuss last weekend."

"I can't." Roman shook his head, feeling his heart beating faster. He didn't usually get stage fright, but this felt pretty close to it. His lungs were tight; his breaths were quick and shallow. "I-"

"Did I do something wrong?" Logic asked, clearly confused, "Did I fail the trial?"

Roman saw an escape and he took it, summoning all his courage, he said, "Yes. You did."

Logic blinked in surprise, "What?"

"You're supposed to get drunk at parties, and you didn't. So, you failed." Roman backed up, shaking his head, "I won't help you find your Sides."  
Logic stepped closer, keeping an equal distance between him. His tone grew harder as he said, "You never informed me that was the requirement."

"That's part of the test." Roman said, clutching the flowers in his hands tightly. The stems dug into his skin, but he didn't mind. It gave him something else to focus on, other than Logic's bewildered expression.

"Then allow me to retake it," Logic said, "If all you require is for me to be intoxicated-"

"No second chances." Roman shook his head, turning and walking away. His steps were quick, but Logic's were quicker.

The other man was by his side, glaring as he spoke, "You're being purposefully unreasonable. What kind of test requires the participant to be inebriated? How does that in any way dictate if I am an applicable match for my Sides?"

"Jesus Christ, you thesaurus. Do you ever talk normally?" Roman grumbled to himself, rubbing his forehead. He could feel a migraine coming on, and after a two hour performance, he just wanted to sleep. Thinking about sleeping only made him think about Sleep, causing his heart to clench painfully. Before Logic could respond, he said, "I'm sorry, but you failed. I don't make the rules."  
Logic stared at him for a beat, before almost shouting, " _Yes_ , you do!"  
Roman stopped in front of the backstage door. He grabbed the handle and sighed, "Look. You're a nice guy, and I appreciate the flowers, but you _need_ to leave me alone. We're _not_ Sides."

"I don't believe that." Logic argued, "When we were dancing-"  
"I'm Established!" Roman interrupted, "I can't fuse with you!"

"You're very short. Statistically, Established individuals are much taller-"

Roman felt his cheeks burn at the mention of his height, he grit his teeth, "Shut up!"

Logic crossed his arms, squinting at him. He said in a quiet, but firm, voice, "If you're Established, then who's Creativity?"

Roman dropped the flowers, grabbed Logic's stupid tie, and yanked him closer. Furious, he hissed, "Don't you dare say that name! You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I'm just trying to become Established." Logic replied, surprisingly calm for being _this close_ to getting punched. He stared at Roman the entire time, which only infuriated him more. He hated being inspected like a weird science project. "If you are my Side, or if you know my Sides, I won't leave you alone until that happens."

Roman swallowed, feeling the muscles in his arms shake. Moisture was forming in the corner of his eyes, and he needed to get out of there before he had a very un-princely break down. He thought about sending him to Remy and Missy, but just the idea of it made his stomach turn. Despite his best efforts, Roman is attached to the Logical Side. He didn't want to send him away; but being around him was very dangerous. He didn't know what to do.

Slowly, his fingers unfurled from the tie. He smoothed it down, giving Logic's chest a small pat. He could feet Logic's heartbeat, and it's quick pace almost matched his own. He could feel his fingertips start to burn in a pleasurable tingle. He pulled his hand back, stepping away from him.

"If you want to find your Sides, look somewhere else." Roman told him firmly. He grabbed the door handle and said, "I'm off the market."

He opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him. He heard Logic's plea, "Roman, wait!"

He didn't wait; instead rushing past the props and curtains, hoping to disappear on stage. As quickly as he could, he ducked into the boy's changing room and took off his prince outfit. He couldn't look at himself in the mirror; it looked too much like Logic. Like Remy. Like an asshole.

With shaking hands, he turned on his phone and glanced at all the messages he missed during the play. Remy had sent him a few; apparently he and Missy were sad about something. He didn't have the emotional ability to respond to him then. He had another six from Logic, each more prying than the last. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep this up. He was doing just fine before the walking dictionary crashed into his life.

Sighing, Roman glanced at a beautiful bouquet of white lilies on Singer's table. His own flowers, gorgeous red roses, had been thrown on the floor in the hall. He wished he didn't do that. He wished he could talk to Logic like a normal human. He wished he could fuse like a normal human.

He wished a lot of things.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	20. D Side

Deceit slowly peeled off the bandage that was covering his mostly-healed wound. The scar was just below his left eye, and sprawled down to his cheek. It's in the perfect shape of Patton's nails; how their hands were holding Daniel's face that night. He winced as his sore cheek tried to smile. No matter, he knew he could sell it.

He fiddled with his top hat, before he smoothed his shirt out. He stared at himself in the mirror. Turning, and getting another angel, he smirked. He had to admit, he looked absolutely _hideous_. The scar had its charm.

Sasha clacked from her cage behind him. Deceit rolled his eyes and said to the crab, "Yes, I _know_ I wore this suit yesterday, but he didn't _see_ me yesterday. So, I get to wear it again."

Rose blinked at him.

"I can't just 'steal a new suit', Rose," He said, turning and sauntering to the cage. "That sort of thing takes time I don't have. Besides, I think I look good."

The crabs were silent.  
"No?" He frowned, glancing down at his yellow button up and classic black suit. Admittedly, his bow tie was a clip on, but no one needed to know that. He didn't have time to change, the show was going to start in twenty minutes. He grabbed his yellow gloves off his bed and put them on, muttering, "Either way, it's the best we got."

Gloves on, he picked up his sleek cane. He tapped the ground with it, then shifted it to his other hand. He turned and looked at the mirror, "Girls? Is the cane too much?"

Clacks all around (as Rose and Sasha fought over a leaf). Deceit sighed and set his cane on his bed, "I agree."

He gave his girls a quick goodbye and slithered upstairs. He cracked the door open enough to peek through to the hall. The lights were off, but the TV in the livingroom was on. He could hear Frank commenting on the football game to himself. Deceit closed the door quietly behind him. He knew due to the slurs in his grumbling, Frank was several beers into a game. Deceit turned away from the livingroom and snuck down the hall to the front door.

Frank is a creature of habit, and never learns. He always leaves his keys in a little bowl by the door. Deceit slips them into his pocket and closes the door silently behind him. Frank will fall asleep before the end of the fourth quarter, and Deceit will be back before morning.

No one will be the wiser.

The first time Deceit watched the show, he was actually listening to the performance and the plot. This time, however, he focused on Roman. If that bouncy ass wasn't on stage, Deciet's attention was lost.

The most important thing Deceit recognized while rewatching the performance, was just how _terrible_ of an actor Roman was. It's _obvious_ why he was given the lead role. Deceit chewed his lip, thinking. It may be difficult to trick him; he might see through all of Deciet's showmanship. Afterall, game recognize game.

After the intermission, Deceit turned down the side hall, instead of returning to his seat in the auditorium. He found a door that lead backstage, and he casually ducked behind it.

Backstage was dark and hectic. Everyone silently, yet furiously, scrambling to their places. Deceit shoved his hands into his pockets and dipped his head down as he sped around the outerier of the stage. He was hidden in the dark curtains, silently moving past everyone who was too focused on their task to notice him. Deceit found the door leading back out of the auditorium, into the cast and crew only hall. Some students left their backpacks and bags out, lining the hall. It was like a little runway for pickpockets. Quickly, Deceit recognized more expensive brands on the backpacks and riffled through them until he found some pocket change. No one carries bills anymore, ugh.

Dissatisfied with broke college student's bags, he entered the men's changing room. There were more personal belongings in here, but most of the space was reserved for props and costumes. Deceit boredly looked through everyone's stations. Each man had their own mirror and make-up bag. Some of them left their phones out on the tables, or snacks and personal notes.

Deceit chewed on someone's gummy worms and he read another's 'good luck sweetie!' note. He almost gagged from the sweetness. He stuffed the last gummy worm in his mouth, then placed the empty bag on Sweetie's desk with the note.

He rubbed his hands together as he scanned what was next. This table was _uninteresting_. A playbill of the show was taped to the corner of the mirror. Written on it in black marker were the words, "That's my boy!" There was no signature, but the font felt paternal. Roman's face was circled multiple times in the same black marker. Deceit snorted, it looked more like the writer was leaving themself a reminder. This, Roman, right here, circled, is my boy.

Deceit sat down in Roman's swivel chair. He spun around a few times before he stopped to snoop some more. Aside from all of his make-up being thrown around everywhere, there wasn't much else of interest.

In the corner of the desk, Roman had shoved some red roses. Deceit almost took one to give to him after the show, but upon further inspection, they were very _neat_. They were covered in dust, and looked like they were stepped on. Deceit decided he'd just steal someone else's flowers to give to him. Afterall, everyone else's flowers _also_ looked like they came from a dumpster.

The last thing Deceit picked up was Roman's phone. The screen lit up when Deceit looked at it. Face recognition, really? Was thinking up a password too hard?

Deceit raised an eyebrow at all the missed messages. Someone was _excellent_ at communication skills. Deceit scrolled through them:

 _Logic: But, based on my understanding of the show, the prince should have admitted his mistake from the beginning, which would have saved the princess from being taken._

 _Logic: We can discuss this more after your performance._

 _Logic: You are, objectively, doing better than last night._

Deceit grinned, Logic Sides are always so much _fun_. He almost felt bad for Roman having one as a friend. He clicked on a different conversation, leaning back in the chair.

 _Remy Baby: Missy's real excited to see your play tomorrow. She's had a hard time since the fusion thing._

 _Remy Baby: We should get dinner after, babe. It'll be nice._

Deceit scrolled through that person's texts, hoping to find a dick pic or something equally exciting. But they just complain about their fusion life, most of which Roman left on read. Deceit clicked on the next conversation.

 _Kai-pow!: How do you turn the oven light off?_

 _Kai-pow!: Did you see the meme i sent u?_

Oh my god, Roman is so boring. Deceit dropped the phone back onto the counter and stared up at the ceiling. What if he's stuck with boring, goody-goody Sides forever?

Deceit listened to see where they were in the show, but all he could hear was applause. That was probably his cue to get out of here before-

The door opened. Deceit _totally_ planned for this to happen.

Roman stepped inside, his gaze locking on Deceit's. He planned that, too.

Instantly, Roman stopped in his tracks, the door closing behind him. He was even more _ugly_ up close. Deceit decided Roman was far more attractive than Patton. He was ready for an upgrade.

"Hello," Deceit purred, holding out his hand.

Roman glanced at it, before asking, "Did Logic send you?"

Logic? As in Mr. Overanalyze the Show, Logic? So they're not friends? Deceit curled his fingers, pulling his hand back as he said, "Yes."

"Oh, I can't believe him." Roman hissed to himself, pushing past Deceit to go to his desk. Deceit followed after him, watching as he started to take Bobby pins out of his hair. Roman didn't look at him as he asked, "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Who do you expect me to be?" Deceit asked. He watched as Roman glanced at him, then rolled his eyes.

"I dunno, his muscle?" Roman said, taking off his crown.

Deceit nodded, thinking, "Oh, like an interrogation?"

"Yeah, probably." Roman stood up, shaking out his hair. Deceit watched as a Bobby pin clung to his scalp for dear life. He reached forward and plucked it from his hair.

He held it out to Roman, and smiled as non-threateningly as he could, "I won't interrogate you; I'm a friend."

Roman took the hair clip and sighed. He stared at the broken flowers on his table. Deceit watched Roman go through a short face journey. Finally, he shook his head, and said, "C'mon, you shouldn't be in here."

Deceit led the way out of the room, then stopped in the hall said, "I'm sorry if this is a bit forward," Roman winced, already clearly preparing for something. Deceit took notice of the action, but carried on charmingly, "but you were absolutely _wonderful_ on stage."

"Oh." Roman relaxed, his expression startled. "Um, thank you."

"Were you expecting any different?" Deceit asked, watching his reaction.

He could practically _see_ Roman push thoughts out of his mind. He said, "No, um, thank you. I'm glad you liked the show."  
"The show was amazing! You were the most impressive part, of course." Deceit praised, gently touching Roman's shoulder. The other man smiled, his cheeks turning pink. Deceit added, "When you hit the high note in ' _I Wish You Were Mine_ ', it was like you stole the breath from my lungs."

Roman laughed, ducking his head in embarrassment, "Oh, stop."  
"Really! I've _never_ seen anyone so dedicated to their craft! You were absolutely _divine_!" Deceit said, maybe laying it on a little thick. But he had a hunch this guy would fall for the ol' asskisser trick. "When can I see more of you? I wish you were on my TV, you're just so fun to watch!"

Roman stopped outside the door leading to the main hall. "Um, well, we have another showing tomorrow night."

"Consider it done, darling." Deceit said, holding out his hand for a shake.

Roman smiled and reached for it, but stopped before they touched. He stared at Deceit's hand, then glanced up at him. He smoothly pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair. He glanced away and said, "I'm glad you liked the show. Um, tell Logic that I meant what I said."

"Care to be more specific?" Deceit winked and added, "Logical Sides tend to take things literally."

Roman's eyebrows pinched together and his shoulders slumped, "I don't want to fuse with him. Or anyone. I'm not a Side, okay? So both you and him can stop bothering me."

That was an interesting take. Deceit could practically _feel_ the deception coming off of Roman in waves. He _hated_ it. Deceit put a hand on his chest and said in his most innocent tone, "Me? Wha- _bother_?! My prince, I assure you, I'm doing no such thing!"

Roman squinted at him and opened the door to the hall. He walked out of it and said, "Aren't you Logic's Side?"

"Not at all." Deceit purred, watching as Roman slowly turned back to him with a frown. Deceit held back a smile as he took Roman's hand, "I'm just like you."

Roman started blinking rapidly, like he couldn't process what he just said. Deceit waited, gently rubbing his gloved thumb across the back of Roman's hand. Roman never looked away from him, he said in a breathy whisper, "I'm Established."  
" _Me too._ " Deceit told him.

"Roman!"

Deceit glanced over Roman's shoulder to see a Side wearing square glasses approaching them. That must be the Logical Side he keeps talking about. Deceit opened his mouth to comment, but his attention was stolen.

Suddenly, a sharp burning in his hand made him look down. Their hands were glowing. Roman almost pulled his hand away, but Deceit intertwined their fingers. The heat was spreading up his arm, taking his breath away. Around the hall, people were turning to look at them as their light grew. It was a familiar sensation, which reminded him of Patton.

They were fusing.

But before they disappeared in light, Roman twisted his hand free and backed away from him. Deceit instantly felt cold, and he was breathing hard. Roman watched him with wide eyes, practically shaking in his boots. Deceit was trying to think of anything to say, but his mind was blank with what had almost happened. Almost like his body was mad at him for not completing the fusion, it refused to do anything but stand there.

"Roman?"

They both turned to see the Logic Side starting at them.

"Fuck." Roman said, shaking his head. He backed away from both of them, but his eyes were still on Logic. He stared pointedly at the roses in the Side's hand. " _More_?!"

Logic glanced down at the flowers, almost like he had forgotten he was holding him. The Side shrugged and said, "It is a new performance."

Deceit looked from one Side to the other. They both were like deer in headlights, unmoving and terrified. Although it had been fun to watch, Deceit needed to put some puzzle pieces together. If he had been able to almost-fuse with Roman, they were definitely Sides. He already had Patton in his back pocket. So this Logical Side could be his third; which would mean he's only one more away from being Established.

"Gentlemen, please." Deceit said, hoping to keep the two from bolting. "Let's sit down and talk about this over a nice dinner."

"There's nothing more to talk about." Roman said, taking slow steps backwards.

"Roman, I'm sorry." Logic said suddenly, "I don't know what I did to upset you-"

"Shut up."

"Maybe we could try fusing again?" Deceit suggested, "That might help?"

"No!" Roman turned and sprinted away from them. Audience members and cast alike moved out of his way. From the crowd, a short Side ran after him, along with a Fusion that was in the show. Logic started to follow, but Deceit grabbed him by the arm and stopped him.

"What are you doing? I have to talk to him!" The Side hissed in his face, furious.

Deceit let go of him and said, "There will be time to talk to him later. But I've only just met you."

Logic took a deep breath, then looked back at Roman's retreating form. He had made it to the front door of the building, and was now disappearing outside. He sighed, then turned back to Deceit. He was still clearly frustrated, but he held out his hand politely, "My name is Logic Side."

Deceit smiled, wrapping both his hands around his. He shook their hands and said, "I'm Morality Side. You can call me Patton."

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	21. Logic L Side

Logic was pleased to meet another possible Side, but the timing was not ideal. He wanted nothing more than to make amends with Roman. He had realized that his methods and attempts at engaging in friendship were only driving Roman further away.

Perhaps a new topic will help settle his restless mind. He shook Patton's gloved hand and asked, "Would you like to come home with me?"

Patton cupped one of his own cheeks in his hand, fanning himself with the other. He said with a smirk, "How forward of you!"

Logic took a small step back to give him more personal space. He tried to sound reassuring as he said, "I promise, I have no intention of touching you in any way, or discussing anything which may cause you distress, as a Moral Side."

The smile shifted slightly, he smoothed his hands down his suit and said, "What a _gentleman_. Lead the way; I'll drive."

* * *

Logic watched as Patton inspected his thought web on the wall. He read each sticky note silently, taking in all the information before he turned to Logic with a small frown.

He pointed to the web, "Does this help?"

Logic shifted his glasses on his nose and nodded, "I find it easier to work through this puzzle if I can visualize it."

Patton turned back to the web, looking at Roman's photo. He wasn't sure what, but something about Patton caused him unease. Perhaps it was due to his persistence with Roman - the other Side was sure to view it as crossing some social boundary Logic doesn't understand.

He felt the need to explain, "I know this may seem unethical on some level, but I'm simply gathering information. If Roman ends up not being my Side, I will leave him be and cause no harm."

Patton smiled, his scars rising slightly, causing his eye to squint more. "I believe you."

Logic felt himself exhale out his nose, pleased with the approval. He had a hunch Patton was one of his Sides; he felt a familiar clearity standing near him that he only felt around Roman.

It would be wise to keep peace between them. Logic sat down on his bed and Patton climbed up next to him. They sat a respectable distance away, to ensure they wouldn't touch and accidentally fuse.

Logic awkwardly gestured to his new guest, "I would like to spend this time learning more about you; to see if we're true Sides."

"Ask me anything, I'm an open book." Patton said, leaning back casually.

"Excellent. How did you receive your scar?" Logic asked.

Patton blinked in surprise, slowly shifting away from him. He glanced away, "Uh-"

Logic leaned closer to inspect it; situating his glasses better on his nose. "Yes, from the color and shape of it, it appears to be a fission burn-"

"Haha, yeah…" Patton touched his cheek, right below his scar. He cleared his throat and said, "You're very observant."

"Yes, thank you. It looks to be a fresh wound, has it just recently healed?" Logic asked, gently taking Patton's wrist and pulling his hand away from the scar. He peered at it, then glanced in Patton's eyes when he didn't speak up.

"Yeah, it's- uh, it's new." Patton pulled his arm free from Logic's grasp. He shrugged and said, "I had met a Side. It didn't go well."

Logic leaned back, shrugging. "I understand. I've had my own troubles managing interSide relations." He gestured to the thought web on the wall, filled with facts about Roman. "I don't have the best track record, it appears."

Patton smiled and put a hand on his knee. "No worries, me neither."

"But you've already fused with one of your Sides." Logic said, "Although it may have ended negatively, you've succeeded in more than me."

"It was only once." Patton smiled sadly, "I don't think he wants a second date."

Logic hesitated, forcing his tone to sound more sympathetic as he asked, "So the fission burn, it was on purpose?"

Patton sighed and took his hat off. He set it down in his lap and ran a hand through his hair. He's blond, Logic confirmed, glancing at the small curls. Patton sadly looked at him, "Yeah, I think so. The Side I was fused with was … distasteful."

"How so?" Logic prompted.

"Well, while fused, we were at a bar. And the bartender started flirting with us; which made me upset. The other Side then punched the bartender, to get him to leave us alone." Patton said, waving his hand vaguely, "I _totally_ freaked out and ran out of there. We unfused and the other Side scratched the shit out of me."

"He seems violent." Logic said, frowning to himself. "Are you okay?"

"Wha- yeah, but he was just trying to get the bartender to leave us alone." Patton was squinting at him, clearly wanting a specific response, "Wasn't it _unfair_ of me to immediately villianize him?"

Ah. Logic nodded to himself in understanding. It was a moral dilemma that Patton was struggling with. Logic was happy to help shed some light. "Not at all; as an Ethical Side, your trait will react intensely to things you view as unfair. And while the bartender was disregarding your fusion's comfort, violence tends to be seen as a worse crime. It's completely understandable that you would react that way."

Patton smiled tightly, and said through gritted teeth, " _Thanks._ "

Logic tilted his head in thought, asking, "What was his trait? Perhaps you two weren't the most compatible fusion."

"Uh-" Patton said, suddenly tense. He shrugged and said, "I don't really remember, honestly. We didn't get to know each other that well before fusion."

"Oh." Logic blinked in surprise. He chewed his lip in thought. After fission, Sides should have a good idea of who the other is. When sharing a body through fusion, it's difficult to hide aspects of yourself. Even if they never discussed their traits before fusion, they should become clear once unfused. At least, that's what Logic's research suggested. He makes a mental note to look into the concept of selective amnesia after a traumatic fission. He asked, "Well, what was your fusion's name?"  
"Daniel." He supplied helpfully. Before Logic could ask another question, Patton gestured to the wall beside them. "So how long until you add my name to this web?"

Logic smiled to himself, climbing off the bed and stepping up to his desk. "Yes, of course."

He grabbed a post-it note from his neat pile and scrawled _Patton Morality_ across it. Then he climbed back onto the bed next to Patton and stuck it on the wall a foot away from Roman's web. He wrote another note, this one saying ' _Fission burn - previous Side encounter'_. After he finished, he looked up at Patton.

For some reason, his expression was forlorn. He stared at his name on the wall, a small frown on his face. Logic glanced between him and the note silently. Eventually, he asked, "Did I misspell it?"

Patton jumped, startled out of his mood. Quickly, he shook his head and smiled. "No, no, I was just thinking about something sad! Like, uh, puppies in the pound who don't get adopted." He glanced away and muttered, "Or whatever."

"I see." Logic said slowly, glancing down at the note he wrote. He decided he would add that one after Patton had left. He wouldn't want to upset a potential Side unnecessarily. He set his notepad on the bed beside him, face down. "So then, was that the only Side you've met?"

Patton nodded, his mismatched eyes watching him carefully. "Aside from Princey and you."

"Well, we haven't confirmed that we're compatible Sides," Logic said, taking his glasses off to clean them. He couldn't help but smile slightly to himself as he thought about fusing with his Sides. He glanced up at Patton, "If you're comfortable with it, we could attempt fusion."

Patton laughed nervously, glancing at his name on the wall again, "I would, but, uh, that other Side kind of ruined fusion for me, you know?" He gestured to his scar, "I wouldn't want a repeat occurrence."  
"Yes, of course." Logic said, putting his glasses back on. He tried to not feel disappointed at that. He understood the importance of working through trauma, and how it could affect interSide relationships. He would give Patton as much time as he needed. "We could investigate in other ways. When is your birthday?"

"Oh, um, April 22nd."

Logic nodded, "Okay, that's good. Mine is April 24th, so the date of our conception was likely the same."

"Aren't Sides supposed to be twins?" Patton asked. "Uh, five twins?"

"Quintuplets are very common, however due to different pregnancy terms or the health of the mother, birthdays can vary by a week or so." Logic said, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one." Patton said.

Logic smiled, "Yes, me too. Based on our birth, age, and appearance; it's very likely we're Sides."

"Hallelujah." Patton glanced over Logic's shoulder, raising an eyebrow. "Can we help you?"

Logic turned to see Sandra standing in the doorway. She had her hand on the door, like she was going to knock, but the door was open anyway. She looked between Logic and Patton.

Logic stood up and gestured to Sandra, "Patton, this is my roommate, Sandra Logic Side. She's a biology major." He then gestured to Patton and said, "Sandra, this is Patton Morality Side. He's-"

"I'm his Side." Patton said, holding out his hand. "It's such a _pleasure_ to meet you."

Sandra shook his hand, but was frowning at him. "You're a Moral Side? I apologize, I wouldn't have assumed that for you."

"Oh?" Patton tilted his head and gave Sandra that too-tight smile. "How so?"

"Based on your appearance alone, you don't seem to fit the typical aesthetic of Ethical traits." Sandra said, tapping her chin, "I believe the term I'm thinking of is 'vibrations'."  
"Oh, I know this one." Logic said, explaining to Sandra, "The term is actually 'vibes', it's a way to explain how you perceive something."

"Yes, thank you." Sandra turned from Logic to Patton and shook her head, "You don't have Ethical 'vibes' to me."  
Logic inspected Patton, taking Sandra's words into consideration. He didn't think a Side's wardrobe had much to do with their trait. He decided Patton may just like the color black. They were at a (fairly) formal event; many people enjoy dressing up for the theater. And a black suit isn't uncommon. He decided to disregard Sandra's assessment. She may need more help studying the concept of 'vibes'.

Patton smiled at her and gave a small bow, "Thank you for that."

"Yes, well." Sandra turned to Logic, "I have cleared my schedule for tomorrow. I assume we're walking to the theater?"  
"Correct. Is it alright if Patton comes with us?" Logic gestured to him, "We both are trying to speak with Roman."  
Sandra shrugged, "That is acceptable to me. Now, if I may, it is time for my nightly routine. Please keep your noise to a minimum."

"Of course. Good night." Logic watched as she walked away. He turned back to Patton, who was frowning. "What's wrong?"  
Patton blinked at him, then smiled, "Nothing! I was just wondering what it was like living with another Logic."  
Logic closed the door before he sat back on his bed. "It's acceptable. I had a Hyper trait as a roommate my freshman year and it was … not ideal. Sandra and I have an excellent system to help make our living arrangements uncomplicated."

He could hear the shower start in Sandra's bathroom. He had to admit, at first he wasn't sure two Logics could live together successfully; but it had ended up being the best decision he could've made. They rarely fought; and were almost never embarrassed to discuss personal topics with each other. They had similar sleeping schedules and routines; they both enjoyed studying and reading quietly. Their apartment was always spotless, and the two switched off who cooked meals. Sandra was, by all means, a perfect roommate.

He looked at his watch, then glanced up at Patton, "Do you require to go home soon? It's getting late."

Patton glanced out the window, they could see the night sky through it. He shrugged, "Yeah, I could go home."

"You're also welcome to stay here." Logic said, gesturing to his room. "You could sleep on the couch, or you could take my bed."  
Patton smiled and took his hand, "You're too kind. I just _adore_ spending time with you. It would be delightful to wake up to you in the morning."  
Logic felt his cheeks heat at the implication. He forced these thoughts away, reminding himself that he was talking to a Moral Side. Patton wouldn't make an innuendo. He didn't think Moral Sides knew how.

"Very well." Logic said, standing up. He moved to his closet and pulled out a spare blanket. "Would you like the bed?"  
"I don't see why we can't share." Patton said, and Logic could hear the smile in his voice. "We _are_ Sides after all."  
Logic couldn't argue with that. He figured, if Patton was alright with it, there was no harm in sharing a sleeping space. He returned to the bed and handed Patton the blanket. With a small smile and a hint of amusement in his voice, Logic said, "Very well, but if we fuse while asleep, it's not my fault."  
"Agreed."

They ended up talking for another thirty minutes before they got changed into pajamas. Logic let Patton borrow some of his; they were the same size (obviously), so there were no issues. After that, they slid under the blankets and laid next to each other. Patton was on his side, his head propped up by his hand, as they continued to talk.

It was interesting talking to Patton; he was clearly smart, and enjoyed debating him. They argued over unimportant things quietly, adding small jokes in between their points. Eventually, they turned Logic's bedside lamp off, but even the darkness didn't stop their conversation.

While in the dark, their voices lowered to whispers, as if they were trying to not wake the lights. It was a silly concept, but Logic didn't mind.

Something about Patton giggling and whispering in his ear, " _No, you listen to me, ranch is the worst condiment of all time-",_ felt so natural. Logic didn't remember falling asleep. He doesn't know if Patton stayed up later than him, or if he had also passed out with a new debate topic on the tip of his tongue.

* * *

In the morning, Logic woke soundlessly. He felt a weight on his chest, warm and pleasant. It was sliding up and down in a smooth motion. He turned his head, and remembered that he was sharing a bed.

"Good morning." Patton said, his hand stilling over Logic's heart. "We didn't fuse."  
It took Logic a moment to connect the comment with their joke last night. He huffed a small laugh and said, "You're welcome."  
Patton smiled and said, "Did you sleep good?"

"It's 'did you sleep _well_ '." Logic turned and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. He put them on and looked at Patton's rested face. "I did, actually. It was surprisingly pleasant."  
"You're really cute when you sleep." Patton said, a small smirk on his lips.

Logic laughed, ignoring how his cheeks started to burn. What was with these Sides and complimenting him on his appearance? Roman had called him handsome while he was drunk, and now this. He accepted the comments, but he didn't understand why they felt the need to share them. It wasn't like he had sculpted his own face; he was born looking the way he did. If anything, they should complement his biological parents on their genes.

"Would you like breakfast?"

" _God,_ yes."

* * *

The trio arrived at the school theater ten minutes before the show was going to start. Sandra was uninterested in the show itself and was only coming to see Pop Culture. And Patton had confirmed he saw it yesterday, so none of them were particularly worried about being late.

As the lights dimmed, and the audience quieted down, Patton took Logic's hand and whispered in his ear, "Here comes our man."

Sure enough, the curtains opened and Roman was centerstage, ready to belt the first lyric. The opening number is impressive, to say the least. Even the third time, Logic finds his breath taken away when Roman and Pop Culture sing in harmony.

Logic squeezed Patton's hand and quietly whispered, "He never fails to be charming, doesn't he?"

Patton giggled and replied, "He certainly tries."

* * *

During the intermission, Logic asked Sandra, "So, do you think Pop Culture is your fusion?"

"Possibly. She sounds and looks similar to me." Sandra nodded to herself, telling Logic, "Thank you for bringing me, I see now what you mean. This does require further investigation."

"We can meet the actors after the show." Logic informed her.

"Ugh, that's forever from now. There's no time like the present, follow me." Patton said, taking Logic's hand and leading him down the side hall. Sandra followed after them, silent and curious.

At the side door to the auditorium, they could see three people standing about. One of them was a woman with short brown hair; the other had his back to them, but also had brown hair and appeared to be a man. The last Side was Kai, who was laughing at whatever the others said.

Kai saw them approaching, and his smile dropped. He said something to the other Sides, then quickly walked up to them.

Logic tried to sound pleasant as he said, "Greetings, Kai."

"What are you doing over here? The show's going to start again soon." Kai pushed on Logic's belly, making him back up slightly, "Go back to your seats."  
"Is that Roman?" Patton asked, his eyes on the Sides Kai left. The man had turned around, but he was wearing sunglasses, so they couldn't get the best look at his face. But the woman had remarkably familiar features, it made Logic's stomach churn at the sight of them.

"Why isn't he in costume?" Sandra asked.

"Mind your own business." Kai told her, "The show is going-"  
"Oh." Logic said in realization. He took a step forward, pointing at the Sides, "Is that Rem-"

"No, I said fuck off." Kai said, although he was staring at Sandra. It was clear he saw the similarities between her and Pop Culture. However, his suspicion never waivered.

Patton put his hands on his knees, bending down to be eye-to-eye with Kai. He said in a mocking tone, "Aw, is the baby's trait Bodyguard? Is the little Side trying to be big and scary?"  
"Oh, okay," Kai said, clearly getting mad. He stepped into Patton's space, his fists clenched, "Is that how you're gonna be? You wanna fight?"

"No, no." Logic said, stepping in between the two. He took one last glance at (who he assumed was) Remy and Missy. They were watching the argument from their spot by the door. He made a note to seek them out after the show. They may have all five of their Sides in the same building right now. The thought sent a thrill down his spine. He wouldn't let a little disagreement get in the way of their chances. He told Kai, "I apologize on his behalf. We'll return to our seats. There's no need for confrontation."

Kai's shoulders untensed, but he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Then do it."  
A little annoyed at his tone, Logic sighed and turned to his friends, "Shall we?"  
Sandra turned and led the way back, entirely unbothered by the whole ordeal. Logic looked to Patton, who was frowning at the ground. Gently, he turned Patton around and gave his back a little pat. A second later, he started to follow Sandra. Logic gave a final apology to Kai and went with his friends.

The rest of act two was a blur. Logic noticed that Patton didn't hold his hand again; instead tapping his fingers against the armrest irritably. Sandra also seemed to notice this behavior, and the two shared a look.

After the show, Logic and Sandra both bought a small bouquet from the sellers at the front of the auditorium. Then they waited until the actors came out into the hall. Patton stayed silent through this, following a few steps after them.

Logic did see Remy and Missy once more, they were with Kai again, who kept glaring over at him. He understood the message: do not interact.

When Pop Culture stepped out into the hall, chatting with a cast member, Sandra held her breath. Logic gave her a reassuring smile and said, "The worst that can happen is that she's not your Sides."

"Right." Sandra nodded to herself once, before determinedly walking up to Pop. They watched in silence as Pop held a hand up to her mouth in surprise. Two more of her hands took the flowers offered to her, and the last hand shook Sandra's in greeting.

They spoke for a few moments, and then Pop unfused in front of them. Harry laughed when Theo pulled Sandra into a tight, excited hug.

Logic smiled to himself, fondly watching his friend interact with the Sides. His gaze redirected to movement by the side door. Upon hearing the commotion of Theo's squeals, Roman poked his head out into the hall. He smiled when he saw Sandra.

Logic took Patton's hand and dragged him to Roman, determined. Roman didn't notice them until it was too late. He tried to duck back into the theater, but Logic grabbed the door before it could close. "Roman!"  
" _What_!?" Roman whipped around, glaring at them. It was darker backstage, and completely silent. Everyone else was out in the hall or in the changing rooms. It gave them a false sense of solitude.

Logic felt Patton squeeze his hand, he glanced at his companion, who was watching Roman with wide eyes. He looked back to the actor and said, "We mean you no harm."

"Yeah, you've made that _super_ clear." Roman grumbled, crossing his arms. He glanced around them, but it was clear no one was there for backup.

"Roman-" Patton started.

"Stranger." Roman interrupted.

"We just want to get to know you. As friends. Cross our hearts." He made a crisscross motion over his chest with his free hand.

Logic nodded, speaking calmly, "We don't have to fuse, but you can't deny that you have a connection to both of us."

Roman backed up, but he hit a table holding props. He growled in frustration and told them, "I'm Established."  
Logic opened his mouth to argue, but Patton beat him to it, "We know." That made both of them pause, each curious as to what he'd say next. "You're Established, we can tell."

Patton shot Logic a smile, but it did nothing to help his wild thoughts. There was no way Roman was Established, not after almost fusing twice. What was Patton doing?

Regardless, Roman's shoulders relaxed. His gaze shifted between the two of them, hesitant, "So then … what do you want?"

"Companionship." Patton said with a bright smile, "We really did love your performance."

Logic wanted to speak up then, to ask why Roman was so against interacting with them. But the door behind them opened, shining bright light onto Roman's face. His eyes widened, and he shook his head.

Logic turned around, and felt a wave of surprise run through him at who was there. Two individuals, Sides, who shared the same face. One was male, the other female. Logic dropped Patton's hand and held out his own to them, "Remy and Missy, I presume?"

"Are you the one who's been following Ro around?" Remy asked, crossing his arms.

Missy shook his hand, smiling, "Yes, that's us. And you're Logic?"

"Correct. This is Patton Morality Side." Logic said, gesturing to him. "I've been very interested in meeting you."

"Everyone is." Remy said, stepping past them. He took Roman's hand and whispered something to him. Roman nodded, his eyes never leaving Logic's. Remy spoke loudly, "Sorry boys, but I have a date that we won't be late for."

Logic stepped aside, letting them through. He didn't miss the way Patton and Remy glared at each other, the hostility palpable in the air. As they passed, Logic took Roman's wrist, causing them to stop. "Wait, Roman-"  
"What now?" His voice sounded so defeated, his eyes tired. He looked at Logic, his shoulders sagged, "What could you possibly want now?"  
Logic licked his lips and said quietly, "Just your attention."

Roman was quiet for a long moment, he swallowed and glanced at Missy. She gave him an encouraging smile, which he didn't return. He shifted closer to Remy and said under his breath, "You can text me. The show's over, so I'll have more free time…"

That's- that's good. That means he's open to interacting more. Logic nodded, keeping silent. He wanted to ask more questions, he wanted to talk to Remy and Missy; to see if they were compatible. All five of them, in the same small space. They were _so close_ to Establishment, but there was something missing. Something wasn't right; there was pain in Roman's eyes and anger in Remy's. There was information that Logic didn't have; the puzzle half complete.

But now wasn't the time to finish it; he was aware. He let go of Roman's wrist and said, "Okay."

Roman nodded, not looking at him. Remy led him back out into the hall, leaving them darkness once more. Missy gave him a sympathetic look and took his hand. She gave it a small squeeze and said, "Hang in there."

Logic held out the flowers he bought, "These are for Roman."

Missy took them, smiling down at the bouquet. She spoke with a promise, "He'll adore them."

Then she left without another word.

Patton sighed, crossing his arms, "Well, that was useless."

Logic shook his head, "No, that was progress. He's willing to text us, and I'm sure we could arrange another meeting between the five of us."

"If you say so." Patton had a strange expression on his face. "I don't know about those two, though. They rubbed me the wrong way."

"I didn't get that sensation." Logic said, frowning slightly. "They seemed acceptable enough."

Patton took his phone out of his pocket, looking down at the screen as he spoke, "Maybe I'm just bad at math. Anyway, I have to go. My landlord wants rent and his car back."

"Wha-"

In one smooth motion, Patton stepped closer to him, cupped his jaw with one hand, and kissed his other cheek. His lips were soft on Logic's skin, and made a slight heat rush to his cheeks. The sensation took Logic's breath away.

"Later, Specs." Patton left through the same door the others did, and Logic was alone with his thoughts.

As soon as the door closed, the buzzing in the back of his head returned. Somehow, it didn't irritate him as much anymore.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	22. V Side

Anxiety woke up the next morning to a series of unread texts waiting for him. He squinted at the unsaved number, already knowing it was going to be that Side from his shop.

Unknown Number: _Hi, V! This is Patton. The Morality Side from yesterday? You tattooed kittens on my friend._

Unknown Number: _I want to be honest with you; I met a Side before you and he hurt me. Emotionally, I mean. He betrayed my trust and because of that, I don't want to rush into a Side relationship again. He was mean and scary and a liar._

Unknown Number: _But I like you. At least, I think I would like you, if I got to know you. I want to get to know you. I want to trust you. I hope you want the same from me._

Unknown Number: _I want to be good, and I'm scared that I won't be, when I'm Established._

Unknown Number: _I work at a daycare with Expression - they're the Side you tattooed. I love kids, and I want some in the future. My dream is to be a dad, and take care of others._

Unknown Number: _I also like cartoons and sweets. I was diagnosed when I was really young. And I'm scared of spiders. I use he/him pronouns._

Unknown Number: _Maybe we could get coffee together sometime?_

Anxiety groaned and set his phone back down. He just woke up, he wasn't ready to respond to paragraphs.

He padded across his apartment in bare feet, heading to the kitchen. His mouth was dry from sleeping and his stomach was in angry knots.

Take care of yourself first, then deal with others. He poured himself some juice and stuck two slices of bread in the toaster. It was quiet as he waited for the bread to pop back up. He didn't have a shift today, and he silently thanked the gods for that. He took a small sip from his juice and the toaster popped. Quickly, he buttered the bread then returned to his room.

He checked his phone, even though he just did so when he woke up. There weren't any new notifications since he left to make breakfast.

He took a bite of his toast and opened his messaging app. Missy hadn't messaged him again since he ran out on them. He didn't expect her to. He didn't blame either of them for losing interest in him, once he wasn't useful anymore. That's life, apparently.

Anxiety clicked on Patton's conversation and stared at the messages. Another bite of toast, and he saved his number. The infodump wasn't as intimidating as he thought it would be. The other Side seemed … friendly, at least.

In a way, he reminded Anxiety of Remy and Missy, when they first met him at the doctor's office. Excited, naive, unaware of who they were dealing with.

Slowly, Anxiety crafted a simple message. He didn't usually like talking to, well, anyone. But he told Patton he'd help him, and the least he could do is respond.

Me: _I'm sorry you had a bad experience in the past. How many Sides have you met?_

While he waited for a response, he reread the messages again. A Morality Side. Would an Ethical Side be picky about Anxiety's trait? He said he doesn't want to be bad. Is Anxiety bad?

Virgil certainly thought so.

Patton: _Good morning! Did you sleep well?_

Patton: _Just two; you and the meanie Deceit._

Anxiety finished his breakfast, chewing thoughtfully as he read the new messages. A Deceit Side? No wonder they didn't get along. That'd be like mixing himself with an Impulsive trait; they'd drive each other insane.

Me: _yeah, u?_

Me: _do you still talk to him?_

Patton: _I had a bad dream, but it's ok. No, I haven't seen or talked to him since we unfused. I don't want to interact with him again_

Me: _ok_

Anxiety didn't know what to say after that, so he closed the app and laid down. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, contemplating his options.

He should tell Patton about Remy and Missy, right? Since he had told Anxiety about Deceit, it was only fair.

But was he ready to talk about it? He had only ran out a few days ago. He wasn't sure if he was ready to bring up those memories.

He could feel his heart rate pick up as his trait tried to activate. He set his phone down and took a deep breath. There's no reason to get anxious right now. He's fine, there's no one around to judge him or yell at him or ignore him. He's okay.

Still, Anxiety turned on his TV and shifted through the channels until he found something interesting. He needed a distraction; he'd deal with Patton later.

It was later when he got another text. This one was from Spunk; he clicked on the notification.

Spunky: _I need a favor_.

Me: _hmmm no_

Spunky: _don't be a dicc :p_

Spunky: _Expression said they'd go out to dinner with me but only if you and Patton come too_

Anxiety froze. He felt his mouth run dry and he had to swallow a few times to fix it. A double date? Seriously? What are they, sixteen?

He struggled to think of an excuse that would get him out of it indefinitely.

Me: _I can't, I died_

Spunky: _that's fine, I'll have Elliot puppeteer your corpse_

He snorted, then typed ' _thats gross'_ he got the response, _'then come to dinner'._

Anxiety sighed and stared up at his ceiling. A dinner would be … alright, he guessed. It was a limited amount of time; no longer than an hour. And he'd be with Spunk, who naturally dominated any conversation. He really couldn't imagine a better person to be by his side during this. Elliot was great, but they couldn't deflect attention away from him like Spunk could.

And if it started to go badly, Spunk didn't care about getting up and leaving. But she was _really_ excited about meeting her Side, maybe she'd be too distracted with them to notice his discomfort. And he wouldn't be able to tell her that he wanted to leave, because she'd be having such a great time and he wouldn't want to ruin it.

And _Patton_ \- what if he asked him a bunch of personal questions that he wasn't ready to answer? What if he was one of Remy and Missy's Sides and this entire dinner would be a waste of their time? Could Anxiety handle another heartbreak like that?

Everything within him was telling him to not go. But then he got another group of texts.

Spunky: _Just this once, after that you'll never have to go on a double date with me again_

Spunky: _I'll pay for your half, too._

Spunky: _I really want to make this work with Expression. And they won't give me a chance without Patton there._

Spunky: _Verge, please?_

Anxiety sighed. He had been friends with Spunk for three years now, they met when he applied for a job at the tattoo parlor. She was one of his best friends; she knew how to calm him down and when to kick his ass. He wanted to keep her around and to be a good friend to her.

And good friends do things they may not want to…

Begrudgingly, he sent back a simple _'fine'._ He got a string of excited emojis in response. Five minutes later, he was put in a group chat with Spunk, Patton, and Gender Expression. He didn't agree to that, but how else would they plan an impromptu double date?

Spunky: _How do we feel about Japanese?_

Patton: _That sounds fun! I've never tried it!_

Unknown Number: _There's a hibachi grill on Fourth Street. Is that ok?_

Spunky: _I was thinking the same place ;)_

Although he'd never message them, Anxiety added Gender Expression's number to his phone. He didn't respond as the three of them went back and forth deciding the time. It was mostly Patton and Spunk talking, with Gender Expression piping up every now and then. They finally decided on 5:30 and Anxiety confirmed it would work for him. And on his day off, too. The nerve of these people.

He sent Spunk a new message to talk about carpooling and she agreed to pick him up. Now he had plans tonight. How lovely. He was blessed with the luxury to panic about every little detail until it came time to get ready. He loved his life.

Spunk was chattery when she picked him up. He tried to not seem anxious or annoyed. He was here for her, so she could spend time with her Side. He needed to remember that as the night went on. This was for friendship.

They arrived at the restaurant and went inside to wait. They told the host that they'd need a table for four and then stepped aside after she wrote Spunk's name down. Anxiety took a deep breath and stared at the Japanese decor. There was a small fountain with a tiny waterfall in the corner and it's constant background noise soothed him, but just slightly.

Spunk gave his shoulder a squeeze, "Thank you for doing this. Elliot said you wouldn't."

"Oh, I'm glad they believe in me." He said with a little smirk.

Spunk laughed and shook her head, "They were trying to get me off your back. How ya feel, anyway?"

"Hmm, anxious." He tapped his hand against his side to release excess energy. He wouldn't make eye contact as he said, "But what else would I be, right?"

"If you want to leave, just tell me and we'll go. I'll tell Expression I got sick on the way or something." Spunk said, "I'll find another way to hang out with them."

Anxiety shook his head, "No, it's fine. I can't run away from Sides forever."  
"What are you scared about?" Spunk asked, "For tonight, specifically."

 _That_ was a loaded question. He took a deep breath and listed the fears off on his fingers, "This place burns down because one of the chef's miscalculates one of their fire tricks-"

"Unlikely."

"Gender Expression starts a fight and yells at us, making you cry."

"I can handle them."

"Patton Morality is a holier-than-thou arrogant Ethical Side that will judge us."

"He seemed nice, but if he is, we don't need his approval anyway."

"Patton isn't my Side."

"Then you can send him to those other Sides and move on with your life."

"Patton is my Side." Anxiety looked at her and crossed his arms, "And he doesn't like me anyway."

Spunk smiled and said soothingly, "Affection is earned, it can take time and effort. That doesn't mean it's impossible."

He put his head in his hands and groaned, "I hate that you have an answer for everything."

"No, you don't." He could hear the amusement in Spunk's voice. He could admit to himself, that her answers did calm his racing heart slightly. He wouldn't have a panic attack while at the restaurant. He could survive this. Spunk piped up, "I think that's them."

He looked at the door and saw as Patton held it open for Expression. He was wearing a simple peach sweater that looked soft to the touch. Expression was wearing a leather jacket and tight, dark pants. When they spotted them and approached, Anxiety nodded down to their clunky boots.

"Nice kicks."

Expression glanced down and smiled, "Thanks."

He dressed up as much as he felt comfortable with. His black pants had no rips, and he wore a purple button-up under his favorite jacket. Spunk was wearing a short, red dress. She ran her hands down it nervously before saying, "I'm so glad you came!"

"Of course!" Patton smiled, glancing from her to him, "It'll be a fun night."

Anxiety lifted his lips in a poor attempt at a smile, his gaze skittering away from Patton's. They didn't get more time to make small talk, as the host called out Spunk's name.

"Parties: Spunk Taylor Side, and Compassion Jose Fusion."

The four of them followed the host with another group of four. They all sat around the grill in a semicircle. Anxiety was on the edge of their group, sitting next to a fusion. On the other side of the fusion were three Sides who looked like him. They were a complete set, out to eat together. For a second, Anxiety imagined himself in that position, surrounded by all his Sides, enjoying a good meal. It seemed … nice.

But he wasn't there yet. He had to survive this dinner first.

Patton sat next to him, then Expression, and Spunk on the far edge. He shot her a glare - why did she sit so far away from him?! - but she just shrugged. He knew she'd still be able to help him escape, if need be, but he hoped they'd be able to whisper back and forth.

A waiter came around and took their drink orders, then Patton turned to him and said, "Thank you for coming."

"Uh, yeah." Anxiety muttered, "You too?"

Patton swung his feet in the high chair and asked, "Have you ever been to one of these before?"

"No, they're too expensive." Anxiety said. The waiter came back and set their drinks in front of them, and he quickly took a sip of his water. She started taking the other group's orders. "I don't go out much."  
"Oh, what do you like to do, then?" Patton shifted more to face him, and it felt weird having someone's full attention like that.

He shrugged, "Just watch Netflix and stuff. Practice drawing."

Patton's smile got bigger as he said, "I noticed all the drawings in your tattoo shop. Are those all yours?"  
"Most of them, yeah."

"They're amazing! You're really talented!" Patton said, he continued to chatter, unaware of Anxiety's growing embarrassment. "I'd never get a tattoo, but the ones you drew were so pretty, I might change my mind!"

Anxiety glanced away, his cheeks hot, "Thanks."

Patton smiled again, but didn't say anything. Anxiety glanced at Spunk, she was talking Expression's ear off. Whenever they smiled, her eyes lit up and she fell even deeper into discussion. He looked back to Patton, who was staring at him.

"So, what do you do?" He asked, rubbing his thumb against the condensation of his drink.

"I work at a daycare." Patton said. Anxiety remembered that from his texts, and he felt like an asshole for not retaining the information. "I love being around kiddos, they're so fun and full of life."

 _Unlike me,_ Virgil thought. He exhaled at his own bitter joke.

The waiter came up to him and asked for his order. He frantically skimmed through the menu before settling on a chicken dish and a sushi slider. Patton ordered the same dish, but in beef, and the waiter moved on to Expression.

"I have a little brother." Anxiety offered, "He's in middle school."

"That's great!" Patton said, "I have a sister the same age!"

"Oh." Anxiety blinked in surprise, "Is she your only sibling?"

Patton shook his head, "I have five younger siblings."

Anxiety almost choked on air as he repeated, " _Five siblings_!?"

He couldn't imagine living with five siblings. Six kids, two adults, eight people in one house. That's twice what Anxiety grew up with. His mind couldn't wrap around that lifestyle.

Patton smiled again and nodded enthusiastically. "My mama wanted a big family."

"I'll bet." Anxiety muttered, taking a sip of his water, "So is that why you're a babysitter? Uh, daycare worker?"

"Kind of." Patton shrugged, his gaze growing distant. "I always felt like a third parent to my siblings, and when I moved out, I needed something to fill that spot. I feel like I'm born to be that caregiver role."

Anxiety nodded, "I get that. I miss my sister sometimes."

"Are you from around here?" Patton asked, "Could you easily visit her?"

"She lives with my parents upstate. I could travel there, but it'd be a day's visit." He said thoughtfully, "And I wouldn't want to stay there long. Too many bad memories."

Patton tried to make eye contact, but he wouldn't allow it. So, then he placed his hand on Anxiety's and said, "I would like to be a foster parent. So I can help people who wouldn't want to go back home."

"That's …" Anxiety tried to find the right word. He settled on, "Noble. But what if you just add to their baggage?"

Patton seemed surprised by the question, "Oh, gosh, I hope not! The idea is to lessen how much they have to carry on their own!"

"Was that a pun?" Anxiety asked suspiciously.

A sly smile crept across Patton's face, "Maybe."

The chef arrived at their grill and started the show. He was a fusion with four arms, which only made the performance more exciting. While two hands were frying rice and veggies, the other two were tossing chunks of potato into their open mouths. When it got to Anxiety's turn, he politely declined; not wanting to miss and embarrass himself. The chef bounced the potato off his spatula, and it hit Patton in the cheek. He laughed and caught it in his hands, popping it into his mouth.

"You'll get it next time." Anxiety told him.

Patton's face lit up in excitement, "So you'll come back here with me again?"

 _I didn't say I'd be there when you caught it._ He wanted to say, but he hesitated. This conversation was going well, so far. And he - weirdly - didn't feel anxious around Patton. He shrugged and took a sip of his water again.

"Yeah," He said finally, "I would."

The smile Patton gave him then was different than all his previous ones. Small and genuine, reaching his eyes with a bright warmth. Anxiety looked away when the chef created a small volcano out of onions. He poured alcohol on it and the fire shot through the center of the onion rings. Anxiety didn't know when the waiter put his sushi slider in front of him, but he pulled it closer and picked up some chopsticks.

"I think you're supposed to eat sushi with your fingers." Patton said.

Anxiety picked the first one up with shaky control. He wasn't a master at chopsticks, but something about them felt fun. The sushi roll slipped past his grip and flopped back onto the plate. He grinned to himself and responded, "That takes away from the experience."  
He let Patton try some of his sushi, and they decided they liked the salmon and the crab, but not the tuna and the squid. Patton didn't want to try the squid one at all; claiming it looked too alive. It wasn't, but you could definitely tell it was a squid. Anxiety only took one bite.

Soon the chef had finished his routine and dished out everyone's meals. They thanked him and he left. Anxiety didn't have to talk for a little bit, as they tried all of their food. It was delicious and he knew he'd eat the entire plate.

"Have you met any other of your Sides?" Patton asked, before taking a bite of his rice.

Anxiety let out a long breath, "Uh, kind of."

Did he want to talk about this right now? In public, where anyone could hear? Patton seemed to sense his unease at the topic and he gave him a sympathetic look, "Is it kind of like my situation?"

"Yes and no." Anxiety sighed, pushing his food around his plate. "They were Sides, but not mine. I thought they were, but, uh, we couldn't fuse."

"Oh…" Patton frowned, clearly taken aback by that, "I didn't think that was possible."

Anxiety shrugged, "They say there's seven people in the world who look like you."

"Is that seven Established people or seven sets of Sides?" Patton asked, worriedly.

Anxiety paused, lowering his drink in thought, "Uh- I don't know. I think the math's the same?"

Before Patton could respond, a clattering noise came from behind them. They turned to look and saw a frazzled fusion standing in between Spunk and Expression's chair. The Sides were missing.

"Spunk?" Anxiety said slowly, "Did you guys…?"

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" The fusion said, their eyes wide and their hands shaking. Their four eyes glanced between Patton and Anxiety rapidly. "We- we didn't mean to!"

A new voice spoke up from behind Anxiety, he turned to see the fusion from the other group standing up. Anxiety thinks he was called 'Compassion'. "Is this your first time fusing?"  
"Um, y-yes." Their fusion said.

"Take a deep breath." Compassion said. The fusion did, and Anxiety made himself do the same. "Do you feel the air in your lungs? Those are yours now. You're you now. So, who is that?"

The fusion blinked, letting the words sink in. They took another breath, then nodded. Slowly, they sat down. They looked down at their four hands, then said, "I think I'm Vogue."

"Is that your Fusion name?" Compassion asked.

"No, no, that's…" Vogue sat for a second, contemplating the question. "I'm Fashionista Vogue Fusion."

Anxiety felt his shoulders relax as Vogue calmed down. He wasn't expecting this _at all_. Even if Spunk wanted to fuse, he didn't think Expression would be open to it already. Maybe they were more excited about it than they let on.

"Nice to meet you Vogue!" Patton said, taking their hand and shaking it. Vogue laughed and mumbled a reply Anxiety didn't hear.

"Congratulations!" The rest of the Sides at the table said.

Compassion sat back down and told Anxiety with a nudge, "We love seeing new fusions; they're like newborns that can talk."  
That didn't sound exciting to Anxiety, but he gave them his best 'I Agree' smile that he gave his customers. He turned back to Patton, hoping the other group had their fill of social time and wouldn't talk to them again. The waiter returned with their bills and took away their empty plates.

They quickly finished up the rest of their food and paid their bills. Patton paid for his meal, even after Anxiety told him that wasn't necessary.

"I want to!" Patton said, with a smile. "You've been a delight, it wouldn't feel right to make you pay on a date."

Anxiety had forgotten this counted as a date. He had only agreed to it for Spunk, but now that they were leaving the restaurant; he considered this a successful first date. That was a weird feeling. He had only had one boyfriend in the past. They obviously weren't Sides, but they liked being around each other.

Vogue turned to them, four hands clasped together with a strange smile. "Hey guys, is it okay if I take Spunk's car and, uh, leave?"

"You mean not take me home?" Anxiety asked, crossing his arms.

"I'll take you home." Patton offered, gesturing to his car. "I drove us today, anyway."  
Anxiety glanced at Vogue, who pouted at him in return. He sighed, "Yeah, that's fine. I'll see Spunk at work tomorrow."

"And I'll see Expression later!" Patton cheered, waving as the fusion backed up.

"Thanks guys! You're beautiful! I love you both!" They turned and sprinted away, their laughter fading in the wind.

Anxiety uncrossed his arms, shifting on his feet, "They seem happy."  
"I never thought Expression would fuse." Patton said quietly, "They always talked badly about it. It's nice to see they changed their mind."  
Anxiety followed Patton to his car and they drove in relative silence. Anxiety directed him to his apartment, relaxing during the quiet ride. The streetlights were on, illuminating the road in event intervals. Patton had a CD in, something up-beat, but soothing. It reminded him of lofi.

Patton stopped in the parking lot, turning to look at him. His smile was nervous, pinched at the edges, "I had a good time tonight."  
"Yeah, me too." Anxiety said, honestly. "You're kinda cool, Patton."

The tips of his ears turned pink at that, and he mumbled, "Thank you, V."

Anxiety winced at that. He had almost forgotten: Patton didn't know who he was. He had no clue what his name or trait was. And he knew that was unfair, but Anxiety couldn't risk being rejected again.

"Uh, I gotta," He jutted his thumb in the direction of his apartment. Patton nodded in recognition, his smile fading slightly. Anxiety quickly added on, "But I did have a good time. Maybe we could do this again sometime."

"Without Vogue?" Patton said, like it was a sly suggestion.

Anxiety smirked, "Without Vogue."

Patton giggled and stared at him. Anxiety felt the air between them grow heavier, and he awkwardly tried to break the tension, "You're not gonna kiss me, are you?"

"No," Patton laughed again, but this time it sounded forced. He looked away, shaking his head, "No, I wasn't gonna…"

Anxiety felt bad for embarrassing the other Side. Before he lost his confidence, he took Patton's hand and pressed a small kiss to his palm. Then he got out of the car so he didn't have to deal with the aftermath. He smiled at Patton and said, "Night, Pat."

"Um- uh- yeah." Patton sputtered.

Anxiety closed the door and walked back to his apartment; his hands in his pockets. He got to his door and unlocked it, when he stepped inside, he glanced back at Patton's car. Apparently, he was the type to wait to see if you got inside before driving off.

He waved to the car and it started to back out of the parking spot. Anxiety closed the door and headed to his room, his phone in hand. He needed to tell Elliot everything.

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	23. Patton M Side

It took an extra half hour to get all the kiddos settled than usual. But once they were all off doing their own activities around the room, Patton finally got the chance to sit down and chat with Expression about the double date they had over the weekend.

He's excited to hear how Expression's experience with fusion went, especially considering their past thoughts on the topic. Did they like it? Was Vogue anything like Daniel? When Expression sat down next to him, he smiled and said, "I'm proud of you."

"Shut up." Expression snorted, rolling their eyes, even as they smiled. "It was an accident."

"A happy surprise!" Patton said, his smiled widening. "Right?"

They ran a hand through their hair and blew out a long puff of air, "Yeah? I think so?"

Patton rested his chin in his palm. His voice lowered to a quieter volume as he asked, "Tell me about it?"

Expression sighed again. "Ok, well. We only fused in the first place because Spunky-"

"Aw! Spunky!"

"No interruptions!" Expression swatted at him, their cheeks turning pink. "She just said a funny joke! That's all! And she was really cute! So we fused!"

"And how'd that feel?" Patton said, hiding his grin behind his hand.

Expression turned to watch the children as they shrugged and mumbled, "It was alright. Really freaking cool. No big deal."

"Is 'Spunky' as horrible as you thought she'd be?"

They shook their head, "No! And that's the thing! She's so cool!" Expression listed the facts off on their fingers, "She never once has questioned or criticized my trait. She even let _Vogue_ be nonbinary! They're genderfluid! And she's really smart and funny and _fuck_!"

They hissed the last word, quietly between their teeth; because there were children present. Morality still gave them a small scowl.

Expression let out a long breath, the tension easing from their shoulders. "The best part, is when I'm fused with her, I'm completely fearless. Vogue has so much confidence, and it comes from her. She gives me the strength for us to be something… different and new."

Patton chuckled, pleased with the outcome of their double date. Expression was the one who asked him to come, since they didn't want to be there alone. It was nice to know everything worked out well, and he helped along the way. He asked, "What'd Vogue do after you left?"

"First, they went shopping and spent _my_ money on new clothes. They said that me and Spunk's outfit was, and I quote, 'an offense to everyone with eyes'."

"That's not very nice." Patton said with a small pout. He didn't mind the strange mix of Spunk's red dress and Expression's leather. It suited them.

"No, they were right." Expression waived him off, then continued, "After that, we went back to my place and Vogue started a _YouTube channel_!"

"What? Why?"

"To be a vlogger! They're a YouTuber now!" Expression shook their head, like they didn't even believe it. "They talk about fashion and hairstyles and make up, but not in an overly feminine way. Their channel is like a constant stream of _Queer Eye_ , but where everyone's trans!"

"Oh! That's lovely!" Patton smiled at that, "So you're having fun?"

"Yeah! I mean, I think so? None of it was really my decision. _I'd_ never make random videos for people's entertainment like that. But while I'm Vogue…" They hesitated, then shrugged and looked Patton in the eye, "People see me."

"I see you all the time." Patton told them.

"I know, Mori. Thank you."

After a second of silence, Expression pulled out their phone to show him Vogue's channel. There were already three videos on it; an introduction video, a short rant about the fashion industry, and a closet tour that featured both Side's closets. Once Vogue has been around for a while, Patton's sure they'll make their own collection of clothes that will double what Spunk and Expression have combined. Despite being a new channel, they already had almost two thousand subscriptions.

"Wow! How'd you guys get so many followers already? Vogue's only been around for two days." Patton shook his head in amazement.

Expression crossed their arms, a smug smile on their face, "That's the power of Vogue, Mori. They're meant to be known."

"Gosh." Patton whispered, shaking his head. He watched the nearest little Side running around. He distractedly said, "Inside feet! Be careful!"

"I didn't expect this but," Expression said, not looking at him. "Ever since we first fused, I've been desperate to get back to Spunk. Like, my body wants to be fused all the time."

He relaxed slightly at the sight of his friend. He used to worry about Expression spending most their time alone. He believed them when they said they were fine then, but now their life is changing. And unlike him, their first fusion encounter was successful. He really was happy for them.

Expression sighed with a small smile, then asked him, "What about you? What did you and that Side do after we left?"

Patton felt his shoulders lower as he thought about that night. He tapped the table rhythmically and said, "Oh, um, I took him back to his apartment. And he went inside, and I went home."

"Why am I not surprised?" Expression said, their tone teasing. "Little Patty, always the gentleman. Leaves them wanting more."

"Well, no, I mean yes-" Patton huffed in embarrassment. "I just want to take things slow. I fused with Deceit the second time I saw him. I barely knew him. And it was a disaster! I can't do that again."

Expression was quiet for a moment, just watching him. They glanced away and muttered, "Well, you're succeeding in that front. You don't even know this new guy's name."

"It starts with a V." Patton said, "Oh… or an A…"

Expression tapped their nails against the table, "Do you remember what they called him at the tattoo parlor? They said his name at one point, didn't they?"

Disappointment spread through Patton's chest. He shook his head, "I forget. There was a lot going on then."

"Well, are you going to see him again?" They asked.

Patton nodded, feeling his spirits slowly lift, "Yeah, he said we can get coffee together tomorrow."

"If he ends up being a dick just give me a call and I'll come rescue you." Expression said confidently.

"Dick!" Curious repeated from his spot a few feet behind Expression. He was coloring and they both thought he wasn't listening. "Dick dick dick-"  
"No no no, we don't say that word!" Patton said, standing up and giving Expression a glare. They shrugged, and gave him a guilty look. Patton sighed and walked over to Curious, sitting down next to him. He tried to give the child a talk about bad words, but it didn't seem to stick. Patton sighed; he might get an angry phone call later. Sometimes it feels like his work never ends.

* * *

Patton shifted in his seat once more, glancing out the window as he waited. V said he was on his way, but Patton had been waiting for twenty minutes now. He tried to not feel disappointed at being stood up, but it was hard to ignore the weight in his chest. Was he really that unloveable?

He took a sip of his coffee, it had cooled a little since he ordered.

The bell above the door jingled, and his eyes darted to it. There he was! V stepped inside, his shoulders hunched. He didn't seem to ever stand up straight, but that was okay. He looked around quickly, before his gaze locked with Patton's. He gave him a tiny nod and went to order a drink. Patton watched him as he stood in line and paid. He was texting, and he didn't look Patton's way until he had his drink.

Patton sat up straighter when V slid into the seat across from him. He smiled, "Hi V!"

V winced, then muttered, "Hey, uh, sorry I'm late. I was- there was traffic."

"Oh, no worries at all!" Patton smiled wider, pleased that he wasn't being ignored. Quickly, he tried to think of a new conversation topic. "What did you order?"  
"Green tea." V said, glancing down at his drink. "I don't really like coffee. It makes me an- uh, jittery."  
Patton nodded, taking another sip of his own coffee, "Sure! I don't usually have coffee, but I thought it'd be nice."

Of course, he always orders something full of cream and sugar to the point where it doesn't taste like coffee anymore. He offered V a sip, but he declined. They sat in silence for a few moments, both fiddling with their drinks. Patton glanced out the window again, shifting awkwardly in his seat.  
"It's a beautiful day outside."

V blinked in surprise, following his gaze, "Uh, yeah."

"On days like this we like to take the kiddos to the park." Patton tells him, "It's right next to the daycare, so we don't have to walk far."

V shook his head, "I can't imagine being in charge of so many kids. They're too unpredictable."

"Sometimes, but usually they just want to play." Patton said cheerfully, "Or they're hungry. Everything else is just a moment by moment distraction."

"What if they get hurt?" V asked, his brows furrowing.

Patton shrugged, "Then you give them hugs and a bandaid. You tell them it's okay and maybe give them a snack."

V accepted the answer, his thumbs rubbing his cup in long, smooth strokes. "So, do you go to college here?"

Patton only just realized that the coffee shop he selected was next to the local university. It was situated just off campus. He shook his head and admitted, "No, I didn't enroll. After high school, I took the job at the daycare, and I haven't stopped."

"Is that what you want?" V asked.

"I think so." Patton shrugged, "I like working there, and I'm just a Morality Side. College felt a little too intense for me."

"I get that." V said, taking a sip of his tea. He cleared his throat then added, "I didn't go to college, either. I took a couple drawing classes at a local art store; but I'm mostly self-taught. I've always hated school, it didn't feel worth it to continue my education."  
Patton relaxed, smiling at that. It didn't happen often, but sometimes people would make fun of him for not being college educated. He didn't think he was dumb, but he knew who he was. He was a Morality Side not a Logical one. School just wasn't meant for him.

"So then how did you meet those other Sides? If it wasn't at school." Patton asked. V hesitated, his eyes widening. Patton quickly backtracked, "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to."

V shook his head, swallowing thickly. He muttered, "No, that's okay. Uh, I first met them at the doctor's office. We were both there for a check up."

Patton tried to lighten the mood, "That's incredible luck."

He shrugged, "Kind of. They didn't end up being my Sides, so I think it would've been better if we never met."  
"Aw, but they can still be your friends, right?" Patton asked. V looked so sad, it wasn't fair. Patton didn't know the full story, but he wanted to make him smile again. "Maybe you were meant to be buddies."  
V pulled a face, his lips turning down slightly. "Uh, I dunno. They never tried to hang out again once we couldn't fuse."

"Well, have you tried asking them?" Patton said, "You could make the first move."

"I don't think so." V ducked his head, "It's probably better this way."  
Patton watched as he awkwardly took another drink, not meeting his gaze. He couldn't tell if this was going well or not. They were talking, which was all Patton really wanted. But he didn't know if V was enjoying himself. Patton tried to take the attention off of him and said, "I wish I won't ever see Deceit again, but I know it's impossible."

"Because you're Sides?" V asked, relaxing once more.

Patton nodded, "If I want to be Established, I'll have to…"

He grew quiet, his voice failing him. He didn't want to think about it; about having to be fused with him again. If only there was a way he could be Established without one of his Sides; but that wasn't possible.

"Well that'll happen in the future." V said, offering him a small smile. "Try not to worry about it right now. Maybe by then he'll be different."  
Patton felt his chest lighten at the sight of V's smile. Slowly, his slid his hand across the table and held V's. V froze up at first, but then relaxed into the touch; intertwining their fingers. Patton sighed and said, "It's just sad. He made me feel … like a prince, and it was all a lie."

"Sounds like a movie." V muttered, "Like some Disney crap."  
"Right!?" Patton huffed and sat back in his seat, still keeping their hands connected. "It wasn't fair."

V snorted and said, "Let's try not to have a sequel to that. I might make a pretty good villain, though."

Patton shook his head, "I don't think so. You're very nice, V."

Again, he winced, his hand tightening its grip on his fingers. He sighed, then muttered, "My name is …"

Patton leaned forward, unable to hear him. "Sorry, what was that?"  
"My name is Virgil! You can … call me Virgil." He said, not looking at him.

"Oh." Patton smiled, his heart skipping a beat. He wasn't sure why, but just knowing Virgil's name made him feel lighter. "Virgil! That's a great name!"  
Virgil ducked his head again, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Um, thank- thanks."

Patton wanted to ask what his trait was, but he knew better than to pry. Virgil will tell him when he's ready; he just proved that. Patton fiddled with a napkin and said, "Pleased to meet you Virgil! What do you like to do?"

"Uh…"

That seemed to be too vague of a question for Virgil, so he added, "What do you like to watch?"

Again, Virgil only seemed to shrink further into his seat. He took a sip from his tea and shrugged, "Well, I like, um, anime…"

"Anime? Okay! That's like cartoons, right?" Patton sat forward, his grip on Virgil's hand tightening slightly in excitement. His unbreaking presence soothed Patton's worries. His hand was warm.

With a small snort, Virgil said, "Kind of. They're cartoons from Japan. The animation style is different."

"Well I love cartoons!" Patton said, his smile widening. He leaned forward slightly, the table pressing into his chest as he suggested, "Maybe next time we can watch something together!"

"Y-yeah, okay, yeah." Virgil said in a quick, hushed voice.

Patton thought out loud, "What's a good cartoon that's also an anime? There's got to be some crossover, right?"

"Uh, sure. There's some shows that you've probably heard of." Virgil paused for a second as he thought. Then he shrugged and asked, "You ever heard of Avatar?"

"Oh!" Patton sat straight up, his excitement making him shout slightly. Virgil flinched, and Patton lowered his voice. He smiled apologetically as he said, "Yes! I've seen some of the first season."

Virgil looked away from him. He shifted in his seat and licked his lips, before he said nervously, "Maybe you could come over to my place, and we could watch it together? I don't know - if you want."

Patton gave him his biggest smile, his chest thumping excitedly. He squeezed Virgil's hand and said, "Yay! It's a date!"

Virgil smiled and ducked his head, taking a small sip of his tea. The high curve of his cheekbones started to turn a lovely shade of pink. Patton watched him, sitting in the sunlight from the window. He couldn't help but feel a warmth growing within him at the sight of his Side. It felt familiar to being near Deceit, but so much better.

They continued talking about cartoons and anime until Patton's coffee grew cold. When they inevitably had to leave, he gave the palm of Virgil's hand a soft, parting kiss.

"Until next time, my Virgil."

"...Later, Pat."

* * *

Tell me what you think!


	24. R Side

They had a simple, yet delicious dinner at a pizzeria after the performance. During their meal, Roman cheerfully avoided discussing Logic and his friend. Remy and Missy were kind enough to not bring it up, either. So they ate and chatted and laughed.

"Wonderful show, babe. Cried my eyes out." Remy said, reaching for another slice.

Missy told him in a stage whisper. "He was asleep as soon as the lights turned off."

" _Babe!_ "

Roman laughed.

" _I_ actually watched it, and I can confidently say, you did fantastic." Missy placed a hand on her chest and shot Remy a playful glare.  
Roman smiled from behind his glass, sharing a wink with her. "Thank you, Missy. At least _someone_ cares."

"I can't help it!" Remy hissed, his face red. "It's a _medical condition!_ "

With full bellies and warm hearts they found their way back to Remy and Missy's apartment. It didn't take long until the three of them were curled around one another in Slap Happy's bed. Roman was between the two, so no accidental fusion could take place. Roman's head was resting on Remy's shoulder, while Missy's arm was looped around his waist. He sighed and finally, finally told them how he felt.

"I'm scared."

Remy shifted slightly, trying to look down at him. Missy smiled at him encouragingly and whispered, "About those Sides?"  
Roman nodded. "What if they're not my Sides at all? What if it's this mess all over again?"

Missy mumbled, "Bless this mess," as Remy spoke over her, "Listen, babe. You said you felt all tingly when you touched them, right?"

"Yeah…"  
"Then you're totally Sides, m'kay? This isn't gonna happen again." He then looked over Roman's head to Missy and winced, "To you."

Roman remembered then, about the hundreds of texts he'd gotten that week. He turned to see Missy's expression as he said, "So, it's still just you two then?"

Missy sighed, her arm tightening around him. "He was a sweet Side; but he just wasn't ours."

"We can send him your way." Remy told him.

Roman shook his head, "Please don't. I can't handle a third one right now."

Missy sighed and buried her face closer to Roman's shoulder. She picked at his shirt as she said, "Sometimes it feels like we're never going to find our Sides."

"I know what you mean." Roman agreed. A sharp flick to his ear made him whip around to glare at Sleep.

He scowled at him and said, "Actually, babe, you found two of yours. You're one up on us right now, you just don't wanna admit it."

Roman shook his head, "But, I-"

"But what? You can't talk to strangers?" Remy poked him in the side, causing him to squirm and giggle. "Are you a Baby Side? Is your trait being a baby? Were you diagnosed with Big Baby Side Diseas-"

"Remus." Missy interrupted him with a look. Once he quieted, she silently turned her expectant gaze to Roman.

Hesitantly, he admitted, "I get that they're probably mine, but… I don't want them."

He heard Missy release a tiny " _Oh_." of understanding.

Remy shook his head minutely, squinting at him. "What do you mean?"

"I want you." Roman told him, tilting his head back to look up at him. He saw Remy swallow, and he could feel Missy's grip tighten on him again. He added, "I always have."

"You can't have us, babe." Remy said quietly, breaking eye contact. He cleared his throat, then said, "Already tried that."

"It's not fair!" Roman whined, turning on his side to fully hug Remy. He felt Missy cuddle closer to him from behind. He squeezed Remy's torso and said, "I want to fuse with _you_!"

"That's just not how this works, Ro." Missy sighed, sounding just as disappointed as he felt.

They stayed like that, quiet for a few moments, until Roman finally rolled to his back again. He took both their hands in his own and stared at the ceiling. There was a stain on the corner near the door, from when Slap Happy tried to open a wine bottle and ended up shooting alcohol into the air. Roman had cried laughing that night. They didn't get to have nights like that anymore.

Roman tried to think about something else. He exhaled out his nose and broke the silence, "It's just- Like, is Logic the most attractive man I've ever met? Absolutely. Does he drive me insane? One hundred per cent."

Missy giggled and shifted to look at him. Remy shook his head, and Roman couldn't see it; but he was sure he was smiling.

"Did you _hear_ what he said to me? When I asked what he wanted?" Roman sat up, fanning himself. "' _Just your attention_ '! Like, oh, my god!"

"There he is." Remy muttered under his breath, an easy smile on his lips.

Missy sat up and teased Roman, "So you _do_ like them!"

"Wha- only a little!" Roman said, placing a hand on his chest. "Only the normal amount one unrelated Side would feel for another unrelated Side."

"Kai told us you went to a party." Remy said, sitting up as well.

Missy grinned, her gaze darkening with mischief. "And when he found you and Logic, it looked like you were gonna kiss him!"

"Um, that's not fair." Roman said, holding up a finger and glancing between the two of them, "Because I was drunk, and we all know I'm a sloppy bitch."

"So are you done playing hard to get?" Remy asked, "Or will we have to get you drunk again?"

Roman flopped backwards, groaning. The two Sides laughed and turned to look at him. He covered his face with his hands and groaned again, louder this time. He peeked between his fingers and asked, "Well, what if they're _your_ Sides?"  
"Then we'll scoop them up for ourself." Missy said.

Remy scowled and shook his head, his nose wrinkled, "Ew, no. That one in the hat?" He made a gagging noise, "I'd never."

"What was wrong with Hat-Guy?" Roman asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "Do you know him?"  
"No, but he has, like, _super_ bad vibes." Remy shook his head again, "Didn't you feel it? He was _gross_."

"No?" Roman glanced to Missy, who was nodding. " _Really_?"  
She shrugged and said, "I didn't really notice until we were Slap Happy earlier." After dinner, the two had fused until they returned home. Their fusion always came in short bursts; exciting and loud, but never lasting long. "After we unfused, I got the same kind of feeling thinking about them."

Roman's brows pinched together as he said, "I didn't get that feeling at all. I mean, yeah, they're both really annoying, but not 'gross'."

Remy sighed and said, "They're yours, babe. They gotta be."

"Nooooo…."

Missy nodded, "If we don't like them, and you do? And you almost fused with both! Honey, it's time to text them."

Roman shook his head, staring at the ceiling again. "I just can't. Not yet."

"Soon?" Missy took his hand, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb. "It's not polite to keep people waiting."

Remy nodded, scratching Roman's scalp soothingly. "Give them a chance, babe. You might like them almost as much as you like us."

"Hm, maybe." Roman said, moving to sit on his knees. He gave Missy's cheek a quick peck, then kissed Remy and mumbled, "I gotta go."

"Bye, dear." Missy said, soft and a little sad.

Remy watched him crawl across the bed, and added, "Text us when you get home safe. And go to sleep as soon as you can; you had a long night."

"Aye aye captain." Roman said, putting his shoes on.

"I can't hear you!" Remy shouted.

Roman stood up straight and looked at his friend. He felt a small rush of warmth spread through him as he realized Remy was trying to cheer him up. He ducked his head, but played along, saying louder, "Aye Aye Captain!"

Remy flopped on the large bed, singing, "OOOOOOOOOOOoooooh!"

Missy waved to him as he left, closing the door behind him. He could hear Remy singing the first few lyrics of the theme song. He smiled to himself as he walked out the front door. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and he reluctantly checked it.

Logic: _Good night, Roman_.

Roman walked down the street, headed towards his dorm. He stared at his bright screen, the only thing lighting his path. Even his Not-Sides think he should talk to this guy. It was strange and scary, being pushed in a new direction. But what if it ends the same way Slap Happy did; with Roman being left out?

He swallowed his fear with the same effort it took to squash his stage fright. He could do this; he was Roman Side, the Side with no name. He could face the music.

Me: _Good night, Logic._

* * *

Tell me what you think!


End file.
